


Kairos

by Ethenette



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25895854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethenette/pseuds/Ethenette
Summary: She should've hated them. She had every right to. But then she thought of all the hardships they would face, all the hardships they had already faced, all the tragedy they'd undergo. They were still her family when all was said and done. Even the thought of hating them was impossible. Semi-AU. Slow burn Ed/OC
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Original Character(s), Edward Elric/Original Character(s), Maes Hughes & Original Character(s), Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Winry Rockbell & Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. I.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

* * *

I.

* * *

The girl wouldn't stop crying.

Her mother fussed over her, as the girl cradled her arm.

"I don't know what happened," The mother said helplessly. "She was playing with her friends, and then-"

Lola simply held up a hand, as she looked at the situation.

The muscles were strained, and her bones were slightly fractured. She knew she could mend it, but it would leave the girl more vulnerable if she injured it again

Lola sported a pair of gloves, transmutation circles stitched into the palms, that allowed her to heal the wounds in an instant.

A light sparked, and the girl winced as her body seemed to heal itself. She looked down at her arm, before grinning, as she rolled her shoulder.

"Thank you Miss!" The brunette replied, with a dimple forming smile. Lola just smiled at that, and silently nodded her head. She pulled out her notepad, and wrote:

_'Be more careful next time, okay? Take it easy for a bit,'_

The girl just scrunched her nose at that.

"Why can't you talk?" The mother covered the girl's mouth.

"Anne!" The woman admonished. She sent Lola a sweet smile. "Thank you for everything doctor, I'm sorry that she asked you such a personal-"

(I'm not a doctor-)

 _'It's fine,'_ Lola wrote, shaking her head. She smiled at the girl, as she kneeled down.

 _'I got into an accident a few years back,'_ She wrote, as she massaged her throat. ' _My voice was injured,'_

"I'm sorry," The girl replied, looking slightly saddened. Lola just ruffled the girl's hair.

 _'Don't be,'_ She wrote. ' _Stay safe okay,'_

Anne just smiled at that, as she grabbed her mother's hand. The woman looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Doctor," The woman said slowly. Her heart twinged at the address. "About the payment-"

Lola shook her head, and instead rushed into the back room. She came back with a basket of cookies.

 _'I baked these,'_ Lola wrote. ' _Share them with your family, and don't worry about the payment,'_

The woman's eyes shone, as she crushed Lola in a hug.

"I can't thank you enough," The woman replied, as she walked out of the clinic with her daughter. Lola just waved.

"You can't keep doing that," A familiar voice drawled. Lola just rolled her eyes, as she cleaned up the area. "I'm serious Red. You can't be too nice, someone's bound to take advantage,"

Seth had dark hair, and even darker green eyes. Wherever he walked, he walked as if he owned the place. The moment she laid eyes on him, her fourteen year old self couldn't help but think he belonged on the cover of a magazine instead of a doctor's office.

She was a little disillusioned, however, when he had asked her to marry him.

"I've never seen hair like that before," He had stated, eyes star struck. "Your face isn't anything to write home about, but the hair makes up for it. I have enough beauty for the both of us anyways,"

Lola had simply smiled at that, and hit him in the face with her suitcase.

(He continued to ask her to marry him, day in and day out. He made sexist comments without even realizing it. She didn't know how Wagner had even accepted him-)

Then he saw her use alchemy to heal someone, and for the first time he showed humility. He bowed his head and begged for her to teach him.

("I'll do anything," he had pleaded, eyes scrunched shut. "Please let me make a difference and help people like you can,")

 _"Calm down Seth,'"_ Lola signed, putting her notepad off to the side. _"We're here to help people, not just to make money,'_

Seth hummed at that, before giving Lola a goofy grin. He reached forward to give her a hug.

"That's exactly what I love about you," He stated. _"Marry me,"_

 _'I'd rather die,'_ She replied, kicking his shin as she placed the bandages on the top shelf.

"You'll come around someday," He said, as he rubbed his leg. He perked up slightly. "The Hughes called. Something about Elysia's birthday party,"

 _'I almost forgot,'_ Lola signed, massaging her temple. ' _I have to look into getting her a gift,'_

"If you just agreed to marry me I'd give you all the gifts in the world,"

"She's not desperate enough to want to marry _you_ , pretty boy," A scratchy voice interrupted, causing Lola to smile slightly.

"Dr. Wagner," Seth replied, placing a hand to his heart. "The girls in this town think I'm quite the catch,"

"The girls in this town have no taste," The man replied leaning forward on his cane. "You're a fool,"

"I'm a doctor, ladies eat that up,"

(There it was, that little twinge-)

"Lola, you need to hurry up and take your exam," Seth said offhandedly. "You'd pass with flying colors-"

Wagner whacked the back of his legs with his cane, raising an eyebrow. Seth hissed at that.

"What the hell was that for-"

 _'Seth,'_ Lola started off slowly. _'Doctors have to be able to talk to their patients. They won't license me,'_

"You don't know that-"

 _'The moment they see I'm unable to talk, they'll run for the hills,_ ' Lola replied. _'I'm fine being an assistant. I'm fine-'_

"No you're not," Seth replied, shaking his head. "You have talent and you're wasting it. You just proved that you don't need to talk in order to be a doctor,"

Lola didn't respond to that, and simply shook her head.

_'You're too optimistic,'_

"You're too pessimistic,"

"You're both annoying," Wagner snapped, causing his two apprentices to shut up instantly.

Not many people knew how to sign, leaving the options for Lola to communicate with others limited. Dr. Wagner had learned it in his younger years, however, to help with deaf patients and people that suffered from mutism. Which was probably why he agreed to take her on in the first place. Seth just learned it to hit on her.

(She remembered spending hours with Winry and them, pouring over signing books as she tried not let this new obstacle stop her-)

"You're almost an adult," Wagner relayed, slowly lowering himself into the seat across from her. "You could do better than this fool, but most girls around here think about settling down at 18. According to all the young men that seem to pass by here, you're quite the catch,"

Seth scoffed at that from the other room.

"None of those men can hold a candle to me,"

 _"Medicine is my one true love,"_ Lola signed back. _"And besides, the girls here are dull. Could you ever see me getting married?"_

"You could always marry me," Seth stated nonchalantly, packing away some books. Lola and Wagner ignored him.

"No," The man replied truthfully. "If you're smart, you'll stay single. Medicine is the only thing that'll actually mean anything in the long run,"

"Weren't you married?" Seth questioned, raising a brow. The man just scoffed, before shaking his head.

"And where is she now?" The man said bitterly. "Gone,"

The man took a swig of wine, as Lola just pursed her lips. He didn't talk much about his late wife, but she knew the subject still bothered him.

"Your grandmother called," The man brought up, causing Lola to brighten slightly. "Your sister too. Was it Winifred?"

 _"W-i-n-r-y,"_ She spelled out on her fingers, _"How are they?"_

"Says you haven't written in a while," The man groused. "The old hag nearly talked my ear off. Why don't you go pay them a visit this weekend? We can handle things here,"

(Seeing them hurt. They didn't need her and had never needed her. She would wait for everything to unfold-)

Lola just shook her head, and gave the man a cheeky grin.

 _"I'll try and write them soon,"_ She signed. _"There's still so much to do here. I can't let you guys do it all by yourself,"_

Wagner scratched the back of his head, as him and Seth shared a look.

"Lola," The man replied, folding his arms. "I already bought you a train ticket,"

Lola blinked, the smile slowly slipping from her face.

 _"Why would you do that?"_ Lola signed, her brow furrowing, as her hands moved wildly. _"Without even asking me-"_

"That famous temper," The man replied. "It's nice to know you haven't lost it,"

_"You seem to have lost all common sense if you think you have any right to-"_

"I already told them you were coming," The man replied, leaning back in his chair. "Curse me out all you want, but the hag and Winnie expect you there by Saturday. They seemed so excited too,"

 _"W-I-N-R-Y,"_ Lola spelled out once more, before clenching her fists.

Lola drew a hand over her face, as she pinned a harsh glare on the older man. Wagner just gave her a shit eating grin.

"You haven't seen them in over a year," The man replied, growing slightly serious. "Family's important. Don't take it for granted,"

(Seeing them hurt-It wouldn't do them any good-)

"What about those two other brothers you grew up with?" The man questioned, causing Lola to freeze. "Aren't they alchemists too or something?"

(They didn't need her-The plot would do fine if she just didn't involve herself-)

 _"Who knows how they're doing?"_ Lola signed apathetically. _"Haven't seen them in even longer,"_

(They were probably avoiding her as much as she was avoiding them-)

"Go home," The man said once more. "Spend time with your family,"

Lola stared down at her lap, before simply nodding her head once more.

(She just hoped she wouldn't see **them** -)

* * *

_She was four years old when she had first come to Resembool._

_The lady who had taken her from the orphanage had smelled like roses. She had a nice smile, and stunning green eyes. Lola told her as such._

_The woman had just laughed at that, patting Lola's head._

_"Your new family's going to love you," The woman had stated, as they made their way onto the platform. "The Rockbells are a good sort. You'll fit in with them well,"_

_(The name Rockbell tickled at the back of her mind, but she couldn't explain why. The matron at the orphanage had always said it was best to not ask questions)_

_Lola had preened at that, smoothing out her new outfit as she clutched her tiny suitcase._

_(She could do this. She could be normal)_

_Resembool was quiet, Lola decided. The air was fresh, and cool. The people waved at her as she walked by._

_One of the elderly ladies stopped her on the way to tell her how pretty she thought her hair was._

_Lola had just grinned at that, twirling a curl between her fingers as she told the lady how pretty her own hair was._

_(Make them love you, her mother had told her before everything went to hell. Make sure they can't live without you-)_

_She froze momentarily once the lady had told her they were in front of the Rockbell's house._

_(Are you really that weak, her mother had spat moments before-)_

_The lady had gone to open the door._

* * *

The train was always uncomfortable.

She watched the hills and small towns pass by through the window. She ignored the man snoring next to her, as she looked over some of her notes.

Ever since she had gotten her apprenticeship, she realized how lacking the medical community was when it came to medicines she had seen as standard in her past life.

Antibiotics were a concept that hadn't even been thought of, and she was determined to bring them into existence.

(Penicillin came from mold didn't it? Maybe if she-)

Wagner had told her to take a break, but Lola knew it wouldn't be possible. While she loved her family, the idea of just sitting there and wasting precious time was unappealing.

When the train came to a halt, Lola hesitated to get off.

(Maybe I can just write and say there was an accident-)

Then she thought of Winry's disappointed face, and her and Pinako sitting in that automail shop all by themselves.

She picked up her suitcase, and dragged her feet to the platform.

Resembool hadn't changed at all, she decided, as she made her way down the dirt path. It was the one place that would always be the same.

(She remembered running down this dirt path as a child. Chasing after Winry and them-)

Mrs. Schiller- the florist - waved at her as she made her way by. She gave Lola a free bouquet.

"You look so grown up now!" The elderly woman gushed. "How old are you now? Sixteen?"

 _"Seventeen,"_ Lola wrote down on the notepad.

"Seventeen! Why I remember when you were barely past my knee," The woman replied, as a customer came in. She sent Lola a warm smile which she couldn't help but return. "Don't be a stranger!"

A lot of people welcomed Lola, as she made her way down to her old home. Mr. Kinsley, and his son Mark who she had helped deliver only five years ago at the clinic. The old milkman who insisted on everyone calling him Gramps. It made her feel less like an intruder.

(You don't belong here-Don't fool herself-)

Eventually she stood in front of the Rockbell's house.

She took a deep breath, tugging on her earrings-the earrings her and Winry shared- as she mustered up the courage to knock on the door.

(They're your family, they'll be happy to see you-Stop being a coward)

The door swung open.

* * *

_The little blonde girl kept hiding behind her father's leg, as the lady talked to the other two adults._

_Yuriy and Sara Rockbell were doctors. Yuriy and Sara were respected in the community._

_(Yuriy and Sara had known her mother-They had worked with her mother-)_

_Lola smiled at the two, bowing her head slightly._

_"Thank you for having me," The girl chirped. "I hope to be a good addition to your family,"_

_The two were silent for a moment, before Sara let out a squeal._

_"You already are Lola," The woman said excitedly, ruffling her hair. "I hope you enjoy your time with us,"_

_Yuriy crouched down so that he was eye level with the girl, and sent her a sunny smile._

_"This is your home now, Lola," Yuriy replied instead. "If anything, thanks for being with us,"_

_Lola had smiled at them, smoothing out her skirt as she caught sight of the blonde girl. The girl shrunk, and looked down to the ground._

_Lola had strode forward, and grabbed the girl's hands in her own._

_"My name is Lola Graham'" The girl had enunciated, sporting her biggest smile. "You're Winry, aren't you?"_

_'Winry's eyes widened, as she just nodded her head. She looked down at the ground momentarily, before blurting out:_

_"Your hair's pretty!" The girl called out, face burning as she trudged forward. "I've never seen a color like that before,"_

_"You think so?" Lola questioned, pulling at her curls. "Thank you! That makes me happy to hear,"_

_The blonde fiddled with her hands, before running into the back room. She appeared seconds later with crumpled flowers in her hands._

_"I got these for you," Winry said basfully, her face flushed. "Ed said they were stupid, but I thought-"_

_"I love them," Lola gushed, taking the flowers in her hands. "I'll treasure it. Thank you, Winry,"_

_The blonde let out a sigh of relief, and grinned._

_("You are going to be an extraordinary individual, Lola," Her mother had said as she brushed her hair. "I won't stand for anything less than that,")_

_Lola crushed the smaller blonde, her new family, Lola thought resolutely, in a hug._

* * *

Den was the first one to meet her at the door.

She rubbed behind the dog's ear, as she took a look around the house. It was eerily silent.

(This wasn't right. The house had always been warm before-)

She shouldn't be here, the redhead thought as she fiddled with her hands. She was the unneeded piece in all of this.

(Leave. Go back to Wagner's-)

"Welcome home,"

Lola's shoulders sagged, as she gave Pinako a slight smile. The elderly woman was lugging around a piece of automail much too big for someone her size to be carrying, and she stopped in front of Lola looking the girl up and down.

"Well," The woman started off, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't just stand there. Come over here and give me a hug. I swear you just won't stop growing,"

As the two hugged, Lola looked around the house once more.

 _"Where's Winry?"_ Lola signed, as she pulled her luggage from behind her. Pinako just shook her head, a fond look on her face.

"That girl," The woman said warmly. "She wanted to wait up for you. But she spent the past two days working on an arm for old Lincoln down the street. You remember him, don't you? I told her to space it out, but she was so determined,"

Lola smiled at that, as she made her way to the room her and Winry had used to share.

(Winry would braid her hair, as she looked over medical textbooks-Den would curl up next to the both of them as they slept-)

Blonde hair was strewn out on Winry's pillow, as the girl sleepily wiped drool from her mouth. Lola kneeled beside her, as Den nestled into the blonde's side. Winry rubbed the dog's ear, and mumbled slightly before turning on her side.

Blue eyes blinked open.

Lola grinned, as she waved slightly.

Winry tackled her in a hug.

* * *

Den stayed by her side, as Winry talked her ear off about all the new happenings in town. Pinako was making tea in the corner.

"You remember Lucy?" Winry asked, brimming with new found energy. "She said she's moving out to the city. She wants to open up her bakery over there,"

Lola just smiled at that, and nodded her head as she slowly sipped on her tea. She took a heavy breath, as Winry patted her back.

"Is it still hard for you to keep down food?" The blonde questioned, eyebrows scrunched. "You said it was getting better,"

 _"It is,"_ Lola signed. _"I'm just tired. It's been a long train ride,"_

"Then go lie down," Winry insisted, her eyes widening. "We can talk more in the morning-"

Lola just gave her a look, as the blonde pulled on her sleeve.

 _"Winry,"_ Lola signed, raising a brow. _"I am fine. I want to talk to you,"_

"She's just worried about you dear," Pinako replied, hopping up to take the seat across from the redhead. "You shouldn't overexert yourself,"

Lola just scrunched her nose at that, running a hand through her curls.

 _"You sound like Al,"_ The girl signed, as the other two froze momentarily. _"He was always such a worrywart,"_

Winry looked down at her cup for a moment, before steeling herself.

"You haven't spoken to them in awhile, have you?" Winry started off slowly, swirling her tea cup. Pinako gave her a warning look but the blonde trudged forward.

"Lola," Winry started off slowly. "You still believe in them don't you? Ed and Al promised that-"

 _"I don't need their promises,"_ Lola signed. _"They should worry about themselves. I'm fine living like this,"_

"No you're not," Winry replied, shaking her head. Lola's grip on her cup tightened. "This isn't you,"

 _"And you know me so well?"_ Lola questioned, brows scrunching up. Winry looked stricken.

"You're my _sister_ ,"

("I'm your new sister, Win-" "I'll always take care of you-")

Lola's shoulders sagged.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ She signed after a few moments. _"I shouldn't have said that,"_

"You always say things you don't mean when you get angry," Pinako relayed, shaking her head. "Wagner said you had lost that temper of yours,"

 _"Wagner's an ass,"_ Lola signed, grateful to see a tiny smile appear on Winry's face. _"He makes me do all the work,"_

"But you're learning aren't you?" Pinako questioned. "He may be a lazy bum, but he is a good teacher,"

Lola just nodded her head, looking at Winry from the corner of her eye. The blonde was still silent.

(I can't believe I'm about to do this)

Lola tapped on Winry's shoulder.

 _"You remember Seth? My alchemy apprentice?"_ Lola signed, shoulders sagging as Winry brightened once more. _"He asked me to marry him again,"_

Pinako chortled at that, as Winry clapped her hands together and squealed.

(For some reason the topic of Lola's non existent love life entertained Winry to no end-)

"Can I meet him?" Winry pleaded. "I've never gotten the chance to see your workplace. I met Dr. Wagner once but that was so _long_ ago,"

 _"I'll take you one of these days,"_ Lola promised. _"It's not that exciting though,"_

"You save people, how is that not exciting?" Winry beamed. "Mom and Dad would be proud,"

Her eyes stung a bit, as she looked down at the table.

(Mama and Papa. She had never gotten the chance to-)

Lola just smiled, as she listened to Winry continue on.

* * *

_("Do you blame them?" Winry had asked her, tubes shoved down Lola's throat to help her breathe. She knew Al was sitting outside. "Do you blame them for what happened to you?"_

_**Yes!** Lola wanted to scream. **I warned them and yet I have to suffer?**_

_"I'm so sorry," Al had kept whispering as Lola had heaved on the ground. "I'm so sorry,"_

_Ed couldn't even look at her._

_She wanted to blame them. She wanted to hate them._

_"Take care of them, Lola," Trisha had made her promise._

_Lola just shook her head, and simply squeezed Winry's hand. The blonde sobbed)_

* * *

Resembool was so dreadfully boring.

She took Den on walks, watched Winry repair automail, and talked with Pinako.

She snuck away to take notes every now and then, but it seemed Winry always wanted to pull her away whenever she got started, or Den would tug on her leg begging to be taken outside.

She felt herself going crazy.

(She loved her family, truly she did. But she couldn't stay here forever-)

 _"You got more piercings,"_ Lola noted, looking at the jewelry with interest. She pointed at her own earrings. _"I thought we were supposed to match?"_

"Ed and Al kept buying them for me," Winry said without thinking, as she adjusted some wires. "Whenever Ed ruined his automail, he'd buy me earrings so I wouldn't clobber him,"

Lola simply nodded her head, as Winry pursed her lips.

"I'm sorry I keep mentioning them," Winry eventually said. "I know you guys aren't exactly-"

 _"They're my family, just like you,"_ Lola signed without hesitation. _"I'll always love them Winry. Don't apologize for talking about them,"_

(Once the plot finishes. Once the Promised Day happens, I'll talk to them again. I'll make up with them-)

"I'm glad, Winry said softly. "I… they think you hate them Lola. That's why they've never reached out,"

 _"I don't hate them,"_ Lola signed. She added nothing more, as she watched Winry work.

(I hate myself for not stopping them in the first place-)

* * *

She sees the muscle man first.

(The sight of him tickles at her brain)

He's hard to miss, Lola thinks to herself. His eyes are pretty, and he towers over almost anyone.

She had gone to visit Sara and Yuriy's graves. She had put it off, unsure of what to say to them.

("Your daughter's a coward,")

She sees him next.

Ed walks next to him, the picture of nonchalance even though it's pretty clear he only has one arm. The hunk of metal that the muscle man had been carrying in a box could only be Al.

(Where am I in the story-)

"Lola?" The voice sounds so childlike, so innocent. She had walked towards them without even realizing it.

Al had always been the more observant one when it came to other people.

She ran a hand through her hair, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious.

(I know I've gotten taller, but I wonder if I've changed any-)

Golden eyes pierced through her.

Lola simply waved.

"Are you a friend of these two, young lady?" The muscle man asked her. Lola just nodded.

(She hadn't brought her notepad)

"Is something wrong with your voice?" The man questioned innocently. Ed and Al both seemed to freeze up. "A sore throat?"

"Lola's just very quiet," Al said immediately, Ed nodding his head fervently. "She doesn't like talking,"

"She's shy," Ed added on. Lola slugged him in the arm.

 _"You could just say I was born mute,"_ Lola signed, shaking her head. _"You're both as dramatic as always,"_

Ed looked ready to retort, before catching his tongue. He scoffed, and simply turned away from her, walking down the dirt path.

(That… hurt a lot more than she had expected)

 _"It's nice to see you again, Al,"_ Lola eventually signed, as she walked beside the muscle man. _"Introduce me to your friend,"_

"Oh, right," The suit of armor started off "This is Major Armstrong, Major Armstrong, Lola Graham,"

The man seemed to sparkle, as he extended a hand towards her.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mis Graham," Lola smiled, and shook his hand.

 _"Tell him he has pretty eyes, Al,"_ Lola was sure if he had a body, his eyes would've bugged out of his head.

"What?"

_"Do it,"_

Al paused for a moment, before relaying the message.

"She says you have pretty eyes, Major,"

The man started _crying_.

Lola was taken aback for a moment, as he placed Al down on the ground and promptly squeezed the life out of her.

"Thank you Miss Graham! To be bestowed a compliment such as that means the world to me,"

 _"Is he okay?"_ Lola signed, as the man proceeded to take his shirt off and flex.

"He always does this," Al said long sufferingly.

She simply patted the man's shoulder, as Ed continued to walk on ahead.

(He was always walking away from her-She hadn't wanted to see them so soon-)

Nothing she did ever went according to plan, did it?

She walked beside Al, and the muscle man. Careful not to walk too fast.

(Nothing ever worked in her favor did it?)

* * *


	2. II.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

* * *

II.

* * *

_"Do you think there's anything out there?" He had asked her._

_They should've been home hours ago. But, Lola couldn't help but get lost in all of it._

_It had been her secret hiding place. It was where she had gone when her mother stopped writing to her. When Sara and Yuriy went to the battlefield._

_When Trisha had died and she had been helpless to stop it._

_It was a clear area, with nothing but trees surrounding it. If you looked upwards you could get the clearest view of the sky._

_On nights like these you could even see the stars._

_"I know there is," She said firmly, with a confidence she wasn't quite sure why she had. "I can feel it,"_

_He just hummed at that._

_"Why'd you bring me here?" He eventually asked. Lola just grinned at that._

_"It's my special hiding place," She said proudly. "Even Win doesn't know about it, so you're pretty lucky,"_

_"There's nothing special about this place," He said rather pessimistically. Lola just gave him a look, as she shook her head._

_"You have much to learn," She said gravely, leaning against a large tree trunk. "This is one of the best places around,"_

_She looked up at the sky again, and felt a wave of calmness wash over her._

_"The universe is so big, and we're all so small," She said softly. "It's so weird to think about,"_

_"Do you have a point?"_

_"Yes smartass," Lola snapped, shoving his shoulder. She took a deep breath, before looking back up at the sky. "I'm saying that… the universe is big. Lots of things happen for reasons we can't even begin to understand. People die for no reason," Ed flinched at that "Even so, we're still lucky to be here. We should cherish the people we still have and we should live for the people that don't get the chance to anymore. If we don't we're disrespecting their memory,"_

_It was silent for a moment, before the sound of sniffling came from her right side. She dutifully ignored it._

_"You need to apologize to Al when we get back,"_

_"Shut up,"_

* * *

_(Even though he put on a front, Ed was by far the more sensitive of the brothers in Lola's opinion. He was too brash, and he wore his heart on his sleeve-)_

* * *

_"Did you know they were coming?"_

Winry pursed her lips, before turning to focus on Ed's mangled arm. Lola tapped her shoulder.

_"Winry-"_

"I didn't know Lola," She replied, in a hushed voice. "They never exactly tell me when they're coming. They only visit if Ed's arm needs repairs. And they never call-"

Lola gave her a look as the blonde went on. She leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

(It had been years)

 _"I should go,"_ Lola signed, causing Winry to gape at her.

"You just got here!"

_"There's so much work to do back at Wagner's-"_

She ducked as Winry's wrench went flying over her head.

 _"What the hell?"_ She signed, as the blonde glared at her.

(She looked a lot like Sara when she did that-)

"No," The blonde stated firmly. "When was the last time we were all together like this? You can't just leave because things are a little awkward,"

 _"I make them uncomfortable,"_ Lola signed. _"They barely even talk when I'm around. It's for the best if I go,"_

"We are _family_ ," Winry said firmly, pausing on her work. "You said it yourself. When's the next time you'll be able to come visit?"

Lola sat back in her chair, looking down at her hands.

 _"I'm sorry I didn't come over more,"_ She eventually signed. _"It must've been lonely with just you and Granny,"_

"At least you wrote consistently," Winry replied, shrugging her shoulders as she turned a screw. "The boys don't do that. They only put themselves in needless danger, and scare me half to death. They can be so infuriating at times,"

A slight laugh escaped her, but it came out as a rather garbled sound. She covered her mouth immediately.

"Don't be ashamed of it," Winry said, placing the arm back on the table. "You always said to never be ashamed of who we are,"

(But this isn't me-)

 _"Winry,"_ Lola signed, tapping the blonde's shoulder. _"There's a reason I haven't been coming by as much. I've been working on something,"_

"What?" Winry replied, a brow raising. Lola grinned.

 _"I've been working on a project,_ " The redhead signed, her smile growing. " _Dr. Wagner doesn't know about it yet, but I've been doing some private research,"_

"Seriously?" the blonde questioned, slightly skeptical. "What type of private research,"

 _"It's never been done before,_ " She signed, with a cheeky grin. _"Pretty soon, you'll be seeing my name in a medical journal,"_

(It hasn't been done in this world at least-)

"Shouldn't you ask Dr. Wagner for help with this?" Winry asked, a frown forming. "What if something goes wrong? You said it's never been done before,"

 _"Winry if I can do this it'll be legendary,_ " Lola signed, shaking her head. _"A medical breakthrough. Even if I can't practice medicine as a real doctor, I can still make an impact. I don't need Wagner holding my hand,"_

"How do you plan on testing this medical breakthrough once you're finished?" Winry said, folding her arms. She froze, before turning to give Lola a look. "You can't possibly plan on testing it yourself,"

Lola just smiled at that, and twirled a strand of red hair.

"Lola-"

 _"I'll leave you to your own devices,_ " Lola signed, patting the blonde's shoulder. _"Don't worry about me. I'll find a way,_ "

(I always do)

The blonde was silent for a moment, before turning back to Ed's mangled arm.

"This isn't over," She said simply. Lola just gave her a quick hug, before leaving the room.

She steered clear of Ed who was passed out on the couch, and made her way outside. She saw the major completing some of Pinako's chores.

"Why hello there, Miss Graham!" The man boomed, as he chopped some wood. Lola simply smiled.

She liked the major, genuinely. Not only did he have a sunny disposition, but he brought about good emotions. Good memories.

(Nothing bad happens to him in the story. He makes it out alive-)

Even though she remained silent, the man's booming voice was enough to fill in the cracks. Lola just nodded her head, as she sat down on the grass a few feet away from him.

She felt herself tense when he started talking about the brothers.

(Don't be a coward-He won't judge you-)

She steeled herself, taking deep, careful breaths.

"... _**Happy**_ ," She said, barely above a whisper. Her voice was garbled, inhumane sounding, robotic almost.

(Are they happy? She wants to ask him. Even though they've been through so much-)

The major looked surprised for a moment, as Lola's hands gripped her pants. She was out of breath, as she leaned forward.

(Please don't laugh-Please understand)

"Yes," The major replied, as he finished up. "I do believe they are happy. Especially since they have you and Miss Rockbell to rely on,"

(They have Winry. I'm just a girl that was never meant to be here in the first place-)

Lola smiled at that anyway.

* * *

"Hello, Lola," She would never get used to that.

The hunk of metal that was Alphonse Elric seemed to stare at her, assessing her every move.

(He had been one of her favorite people, now she had a hard time even looking at him-)

 _"How are you?"_ She signed, pasting a fake smile on her face as she took a seat next to him. The suit of armor seemed to rattle slightly.

"I've been better," The boy admitted. He was silent for a moment, before saying "We saw a picture of you, At the Hughes residence,"

Lola's face warmed at that, as she remembered Maes practically forcing her into the family picture. Elysia who couldn't even form a full sentence kept grabbing at her hair.

 _"How are they?_ " Lola signed. " _I've been meaning to go visit them,"_

(Their lives are going to be ruined in a few months and there's nothing you can do about it)

"They're doing well," Al said warmly. "They said they couldn't wait to see you,"

 _"They're very sweet,_ " She replied, shaking her head slightly. _"Elysia's already growing up so fast. I hope you enjoyed your time with them?"_

"They were amazing hosts," Al replied immediately. "Brother said Mrs. Hughes was an excellent cook,"

Something settled in Lola's stomach.

(There it was. It always came at the worst time-)

 _"I could help you guys,_ " Lola eventually signed. _"I know you want to do this yourselves but you don't have to. I could help with research or-"_

"No," Al said softly, not giving her the chance to finish. "This was our mistake Lola. It was our mistake and we brought you into it. We plan on fixing it. You shouldn't have to be burdened with that,"

_"I should've stopped you,"_

"You didn't know what we were doing," Al retorted easily enough. "We wouldn't have listened to you anyways,"

Lola began to fidget, hands fisting into her shirt.

 _"I missed you guys,_ " She signed, looking away from the mangled suit of armor. " _We didn't leave on a good note last time, but I really-"_

"It's alright, Lola," Al replied in that childlike voice of his. "It was our fault. All of it. Brother feels the same way, but he's just too chicken to say it,"

 _"He hates me doesn't he?_ " Lola signed jokingly, a lopsided smile on her face.

"Brother doesn't hate you!" Al replied immediately, looking frantic almost. "He's just… embarrassed. You know how he gets,"

(Did she? She felt like they were complete stranger nowadays-)

 _"Tell me,_ " She signed. _"Tell me about some of your adventures. You can't go anywhere without hearing about the "Great Elric Brothers","_

Al seemed to preen at that, before closing in on himself a bit.

"Oh, they're not that interesting,"

 _"I'm sure they are,_ " Lola pushed, widening her eyes for extra effect.

Lola kept smiling at him, giving him an expectant look.

(You're not as cute as you used to be, but you still got a pretty good smile)

"Well," Al eventually said, relenting a bit. "Did you hear about what happened in Reole?"

* * *

She helped set the table for dinner, as Pinako finished placing in a screw for one of her orders.

Lola had never gotten as invested in automail as the rest of her family. While Winry could probably create a perfect automail arm in her sleep, Lola could barely hold a screwdriver.

She still thought the process was incredibly fascinating though.

She set up a plate for Winry, and placed it by her side as the blonde dutifully worked on Ed's arm.

Winry gave her a grateful smile, before getting back to work.

As she walked back into the kitchen, she was met with Ed stuffing his face with one of the buns she had made.

Lola waved.

(What is wrong with you? You waved?! You couldn't think of anything better than to-)

Ed just looked back down at his plate.

The Major had already turned in for the night, and Pinako and Winry were occupied with their automail. So it would just be the two of them that evening.

Her shoulders sagged a bit, as she took the seat across from him.

She got started on her dinner, taking small measured bites. After the incident, Pinako had stressed the importance of her not eating or drinking too quickly.

She drummed her fingers on the table, only for Ed to glare at her slightly.

"Could you not?" he snapped, before getting back to picking at his own food. Lola just pursed her lips.

("You don't think we can do it-")

She took another bite, before coughing as it lodged in her throat.

(Damnit-They ruined you-)

"Can't you do anything right?" Ed questioned harshly, handing her a glass of water.

Lola just smiled cheekily, as she took the glass from him.

 _"Thank you,"_ She signed.

Ed just rolled his eyes, before going back to his food.

(Progress)

Lola kicked him under the table.

"What the hell-"

 _"Talk to me,"_ She demanded. " _Tell me what's been going on with you,"_

Ed's eyes widened, before scowling again. He turned his attention back to his food.

"Talk to yourself," Ed mumbled. "I don't have to tell you anything,"

She flicked a spoon of stew onto his forehead. Golden eyes widened, as his hand rushed to his forehead.

"What are you-"

 _"I'm bored,_ " Lola signed. " _Entertain me or I'll tell Winry to leave your arm the way it is,"_

The redhead leaned in with a smirk.

_"You know she'd listen to me,"_

Ed opened his mouth, and for a moment she thought he was going to retort. That it could be just like old times with them going back and forth.

Ed simply turned away, picking up his plate.

"The food tasted amazing Granny," he replied, purposefully ignoring Lola as Pinako gave him a grunt from where she was working on her automail. "You really outdid yourself,"

Lola had been the one to make dinner that night.

She watched him go outside-most likely to keep Al some company-before turning back to her own plate.

("They're my family-")

She had suddenly lost all appetite.

(Even if he doesn't hate you-Even if he's just embarrassed-You're still-)

Lola cleared the table in silence, washing the dishes as she tapped her foot against the cabinet.

(You don't need to be here. You're wasting time. There's so much you could be doing-)

Lola flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as she could hear Winry drilling away in the other room.

(You should work on getting a good present for Elysia. Something amazing-What could make up for letting her father die?)

She drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"You _can't_ go yet," Winry pleaded, putting Ed's almost completed arm down on the table. "Lola come on, you just got here,"

 _"I was only supposed to be here a few days,"_ Lola signed, before putting her hair into a ponytail. _"I've been here a week already. I can't afford to fall behind at the clinic. There's so much to be done,"_

"Lola-"

Lola pressed a kiss to Winry's cheek, as she squeezed the girl in a hug.

 _"I promise I'll come visit more,"_ The redhead signed, brown eyes brightening. _"But you know I can't just keep sitting here and taking space. I'm useless here,"_

"You're not useless," Winry waved off, looking scandalized at the idea. "You've made things so much easier already,"

" _Win,_ " Lola replied, placing her hands on her shoulders. " _My talents aren't needed here,_ "

Winry's eyes shone at that, before she quickly went to wipe them.

"You probably think I'm childish for getting this emotional," Winry said, her voice slightly thick. Lola just ruffled her hair.

 _"You're more mature than I'll ever be,"_ Lola admitted, before giving the blonde one last final squeeze. _"I love you,"_

She went to gather her things. She didn't have much, a few clothing items, a few books-

She froze momentarily, as she picked up a weathered blue ribbon.

("I want you to take this," She had told them, as she ran after the train. Her hair flew freely behind her as she took it out. "For good luck! So that you can come back to us-")

The ribbon was frayed at the edges, having been washed too many times.

("We found this on them," The officers had told her. Winry was sobbing in the back room, Ed and Al comforting her as Pinako and her talked to the officers. "We tried to clean it but-"

Blood soaked the edges of the ribbon. The stench was strong.

Her hands began to shake.

"Thank you kind sir," She was able to force out. "I'm glad you were able to retrieve it,"

The officer cleared his throat, as he bowed slightly.

"Dr. Rockbell was always wearing it," He piped up, "She said it was her good luck charm. It really meant a lot to her-"

"Goodbye," Pinako hissed, face set into a harsh scowl. Lola continued to look at the ribbon. "Thank you for taking the time out of your day to deliver this news to us,"

The officer was taken aback, before humbling himself a bit.

"Of course," he whispered. "I didn't mean to-I hope you and your family are able to make it through-:

She could barely hear the man leave, as she looked down at the ribbon.

Mary had said it was a good luck charm.

**_Mary was insane._ **

Pinako gathered her into a hug.

"They were supposed to come home," She said numbly, clenching the ribbon. "They promised,"

Pinako just shook her head at that, as tears stained Lola's shirt.

They were meant to come home-)

"Lola!" Pinako called out. "If you keep dawdling you'll miss the train!"

Lola shoved the ribbon into her pocket.

She hurried out of the room, suitcase in hand as she squeezed Pinako in a hug.

 _"I'll be back soon,"_ She signed, rushing out the door. " _I promise I'll visit more,"_

"It's alright," Pinako replied, giving her some treats to carry. "Just hurry! I don't need Wagner accusing me of stealing his assistant. Make sure that old windbag calls when you get there,"

Major Armstrong gave her a tearful hug, as she made her exit.

"You were a wonderful companion, Miss Graham!" he cried out, flexing ever so slightly. "I hope to make your acquaintance again," she gave him a simple smile, before walking towards the back of the house.

Lola rushed to where Al was, and patted his head.

 _"I'll see you soon,"_ She promised.

(When this is all over, I promise you-)

"It was good to see you again, Lola," Al said cheerfully. There was something else in his voice, but Lola didn't attempt to decipher it. She simply gave the suit of armor a grin as she made her way down the dirt path.

(She thought about saying goodbye to Ed, but there would be no point-)

Winry had offered to walk her, she practically had to force the blonde to stay at home so she could finish her work.

When she got near the bottom of the hill, she could hear footsteps. She stopped, the footsteps stopped.

Lola wanted to facepalm.

(He's not stealthy at all-)

She continued to walk, letting the blonde midget follow her without letting him know that she had caught on. She eventually stopped once more in front of the train station, and took a deep breath.

She threw one of the treats Pinako had given her straight at his face.

"Ow-"

 _"If you have something to say then say it,_ " She signed wildly, stomping her foot. _"You can't ignore me the whole visit then act like a stalker when I leave,"_

"I'm not stalking you," Ed squawked, rubbing his face. "I was just-"

 _"Just what Edward,"_ She signed, using his full name. _"What is your problem? If you have something to say now's the time. Don't be a creep,"_

Ed remained silent, looking down at his shoes. Lola clenched her fists.

(She didn't have time for this-It was her fault-When it was all over she could explain-)

The train was starting to pull in.

He was still trailing behind her, as she went to buy her ticket.

"You didn't have to leave so soon," He eventually muttered, avoiding her gaze. "Winry was happy you were there, and Al was-"

" _I have work to do,_ " Lola signed simply. " _I didn't leave because of you, Ed. I left because I plan on making medical history, and I can't do that sitting here in Resembool,"_

"Oh," he said lamely, rubbing the back of his head. The blonde didn't say anything more.

But, he stood there to wait as she began to board the train.

(she could never understand him at times. He could be the rudest person in the world at one moment, and the kindest in the next-)

She stopped, as her left boot hit the train.

(You don't know when you're going to see him again. Don't end it like this-)

 _"It's alright if you hate me,"_ Lola signed towards Ed, a slight scowl on her face as his eyes widened. _"Really, it's fine. But, I just want you to know that I never hated you and Al. I never blamed you for what happened,"_

Lola let out a sigh.

(Maybe that's what needed to be said. Maybe now-)

 _"I love you guys,"_ She signed, with a determined grin. The top of Ed's ears burned at that.

With more determination than she had coming to Resembool, she finally got on the train.

* * *

"Maryam Graham," One of the nurses called out. "Who's here for Maryam Graham?"

Lola stood up, her legs slightly wobbly.

(She's your mother, you can't just leave her alone-)

She walked over to where they were keeping her.

Nobody knew she was here. If Wagner asked, she would just say that the train had broken down or something. Pinako had told her to stay far away from a place like this.

(You tried to make peace with the boys. Make peace with her before everything goes to shit-)

Mary was silent, brown eyes dead to the world. She was muttering to herself, dark brown hair sticking to her face.

Lola approached with caution.

They didn't have a name for what Mary had yet. Some doctors choosing to call it "Split Mind Disorder". There were moments where she would act normally, and she'd wonder why she wasn't at the hospital helping patients. There were moments where she'd talk about taking down the government, how no one truly cared about the people and how they were all pawns.

(She wasn't wrong about that, not at all-)

But, instead of going after real government officials, Mary would attack random people.

In Mary's mind the mailman was a spy out to get her. Her nurse was a retired veteran from Drachma.

She had even thought Lola was working with the government at one point.

She pressed her thumb to the scar on her wrist.

("I won't let them take my daughter," Mary had hissed, knife in hand. "I won't! It's alright sweetheart, we'll leave this world together-")

The disorder had been called Schizophrenia in her past life.

Mary would have delusions. She believed people were out to get her. That she needed to cut everyone out of her life in order to truly succeed.

"We'll be alright Lola," Mary had said to her years ago, an eerie sort of smile on her face. She held her close, tightening her arms around her rib cage. "They'll never get us,"

Any light that used to be in Mary's eyes was gone, she hummed softly.

Lola took the seat across from Mary, and gave the woman a soft smile. She wasn't acknowledged until she tapped on the table.

(She's been doing well, they had told her. She was better than before-)

 _'How are you?'_ Lola wrote on her notepad, pushing it forward.

Mary looked at the notepad, before smacking it away.

Lola let out a sigh, as she went to retrieve it.

(They didn't know how to manage Schizophrenia during this time, but maybe Lola could change that-)

She couldn't save anyone else. Maybe she could save her mother.

She got back to work.


	3. III

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

* * *

III.

* * *

_Lola wiped Trisha's forehead, as Pinako worked to feed her. Ed, Al, and Winry waited patiently outside._

_Trisha didn't get better. Deep down, even if Lola tried to deny it, the redhead knew she wouldn't._

_Alphonse burrowed into her side one night, his golden eyes wide open, as Ed walked aimlessly around the house. Lola had asked him what he was searching for, but the boy had only ignored her._

_Without Hohenheim, and Trisha out of commission, the boys didn't have any other family to rely on. Trisha's parents had died when she was young, and according to Pinako, Hohenheim was a blank slate._

_(The man who had taught her so much-)_

_"_ _Do you hate him Al?" The boy gazed up at her listlessly, waiting for the girl to elaborate. "Your father I mean,"_

_Alphonse froze for a moment, before slowly shaking his head._

_"_ _No," He replied, his voice hoarse. "Ed says he does, but I think he's lying," The boy's voice broke slightly " I just… mom misses him. I wish he'd come home,"_

_It was hard for Lola not to hate Hohenheim a bit after that._

_Pinako had tried to locate the blonde man, looking for any possible leads in the neighboring towns. But all that was left were whispers of the man's presence._

_He was truly gone._

_The next day began with Trisha wanting to speak with Lola in private._

_The woman was a shadow of her former self, having lost a considerable amount of weight due to her time being bedridden. Even so, she managed a smile for Lola._

_"_ _You're getting taller, Lola," Her voice was small, miniscule compared to what she used to be._

_"_ _Too tall," Lola groaned, taking the woman's pale hand in her beige colored one. "I look like a bean sprout,"_

_"_ _Hush," Trisha replied softly. "You're a beautiful young lady,"_

_Lola didn't argue with the woman, and sat gently on the side of her bed._

_"_ _Auntie-"_

_"_ _You already know, don't you?" Trisha whispered. "You've always been so intuitive,"_

_Lola pursed her lips at that, before shaking her head. She gripped the woman's hand tighter._

_"_ _All I know," Lola started off cheerfully. "Is that you're gonna get better, and the shrimp can finally stop moping. Him and Al would be so hopeless without you-"_

_"_ _Take care of them for me," Trisha repeated, her voice slightly firmer. "Please, Lola. I know you don't think so, but they look up to you. When I'm gone, don't let them-"_

_"_ _You'll be fine-"_

_"_ _I can feel it sweetheart," Trisha replied, smiling as sweetly as she always did. "You don't need to lie to me,"_

_Lola didn't respond to that, and just gripped Trisha's hand even tighter._

_(Trisha had always been kind. When her mother had lost it, when she had first come to Resembool, Trisha always had a smile for her when everyone else had nothing but gossip-)_

_"_ _I'm sorry," Lola croaked. Trisha just shook her head weakly._

_"_ _You did everything you could," The woman replied. "I'm sorry you felt you had to bear such a huge burden. You're a good girl, Lola. Please don't blame yourself,"_

_Lola's chin wobbled slightly, as Trisha let out a cough._

_"_ _Could you call the boys for me?" Trisha asked softly. "And Pinako and Winry? I'd like to talk to them too,"_

_Lola just smiled, and nodded her head._

_"_ _Of course,"_

* * *

_(Trisha passed shortly after. Pinako had said that the woman was peaceful. That she welcomed death with a smile-Ed didn't talk to her for a week after the ordeal. He didn't talk to much of anyone except Al. But the night after Trisha's funeral, he didn't recoil when she hugged him. He didn't scoff at her when she apologized for the twentieth time. He didn't return the hug, but Lola knew it was progress-)_

* * *

_( **"Take care of them for me, Lola,"** -That was when everything had begun, wasn't it?)_

* * *

"Did you hear about the riots in Liore?" An elderly woman whispered, checking out her groceries. Lola stood off to the side, checking over her list.

(Wagner could use some more vegetables. All Seth does is eat sweets-)

"Who hasn't?" Her friend asked, shivering slightly. "All I hope is that it doesn't affect us. We don't need any of those thugs trying to come around here,"

(Red apples or green-)

"Oh please Ruth," The other woman replied, shaking her head. "Nothing ever happens here. We're much too peaceful for that,"

Ruth simply nodded her head, as Lola walked up behind them. Ruth gave her a sweet smile.

"Hello dear," Ruth said slowly, making sure to enunciate every word. "How are you today?"

(She was sick of this-)

She quickly got out her notepad, and granted the two ladies a sweet smile.

_"_ _Doing good,"_ she wrote simply. _"How about you?"_

"We're both doing just fine," The woman replied warmly, her hazel eyes glinting. "In fact, my granddaughter was curious about that young man you work with. What was his name again?"

(You know his name you old bat-)

_"_ _Seth,"_ Lola wrote anyway. _"What's your granddaughter's name?"_

"Julia," Ruth replied. "She's such a bright young woman. An excellent cook too. She would make anyone a fine wife someday,"

(Is that all they think about in this town-)

_"_ _Seth is focused on his work as a doctor,"_ Lola wrote, shaking her head. _"He's not looking for a wife at the moment,"_

Ruth's eyes widened, as she placed a hand to her mouth.

"A doctor already?" She questioned. "I thought he was just an assistant like you. He must be amazing. Isn't he only 17?"

_"_ _19,"_ Lola corrected with a terse smile, her patience wearing thin.

The lady's surprise wasn't completely unwarranted. Even though the laws were much more lax in this society than her previous one, most doctors were still required to go to medical school to be considered for certification.

Child labor laws weren't exactly established in Amestris, however, or in any country for that matter. Due to the fact that there were constant military conflicts among the border, doctors were needed more than anything. As long as your primary schooling was finished, and you showed some promise, it didn't really matter how old you were. While medical school was seen as the more official route, it was also accepted to apprentice under a respected doctor for a certain amount of time to get experience.

Seth had the experience, and he was able to get board certified with flying colors. The fact that he could use alchemy to heal was only a plus.

(You taught him alchemy. You helped prepare him. Without you he would-)

Lola had to push those thoughts away often.

"Well tell him to not be a stranger, okay?" Ruth replied, her voice still incredibly loud. She went away with her friend after that, whispering "She's a bit strange, that one. But maybe I could set her up with Ralph. He's not much of a talker either-"

Lola slammed her groceries onto the counter.

The two women jumped at that, as Lola simply gave them a soft smile. The cashier just gave her an apologetic look as he rang up her groceries.

(Not today Lola. It's not worth it-)

Barcombe was a small town, much like Resembool. But while Resembool was quiet and off to the countryside, Barcombe had access to huge cities like Central and even Rush Valley. People were always coming and going.

Wagner had said that was why he had chosen to set up a clinic here in the first place.

("It makes it easier to not get attached," He had said gruffly. "The people that do stay here are dull anyways,")

She had used to hate the idea of blending into the background, but now it seemed more appealing than ever.

(She had always been known as something. The girl with the crazy mother. The girl who talked too much. The girl who suddenly couldn't speak. The girl who-)

Seth laughed at that when she told him.

"You could never blend in, Red," He had said, packing up some new books they had gotten. "You wouldn't be happy with that anyways. Besides, I thought you wanted to make history?"

_'_ _I could always do it anonymously,'_ Lola signed, shrugging her shoulders. She gave him a teasing smile. _'I'll give all my research to you and you can publish it. You'd probably be taken more seriously than me anyways,'_

"Don't give me that, you're brilliant," He retorted, taking the seat across from her. "Besides, I'll take on anyone that gives you a hard time,"

_'_ _You can't fight Seth,'_ Lola replied, pushing down a smile. Seth pursed his lips at that, before shrugging.

"I'll steal their girlfriends," He said instead, startling a quiet sort of laugh out of her that she quickly covered with her mouth. "Make them cry a bit,"

The phone rang, and Seth went to pick it up immediately.

"Hello Mr. Hughes," Seth answered, the telephone pressed to his ear. He let out a long suffering sigh. "Yes, Elysia is a wonderful girl. We've seen the pictures you've sent,"

_'_ _Tell him I said hi,'_ Lola signed from off to the side perking up slightly.

"Lola says hi," Seth relayed, organizing some of their materials. "Yes she's coming to Elysia's birthday party,"

(She still needed to get a gift for that-)

Seth held the phone out to her.

"He wants you to hear his voice," He said as she happily took the phone from him.

_"Lola~"_ The man sang, as she let out a slight sound in response. _"We can't wait to see you! You won't believe what Elysia did this morning-"_

She listened on as the man recounted tales of his daughter making what he taught to be a perfect drawing of their family.

_"She asked about you,"_ The man replied, his voice taking on a slightly calmer tone. _"We got your last letter in the mail, and she wants to get started on learning to write so that she can write back to you,"_

Lola made a slight noise of surprise at that, as she drummed her fingers against the table. The rest of what he was saying fading out as she griped onto the telephone.

("You're going to die soon," She wants to tell him. "There's nothing I can do to stop it. Your death needs to happen so that everything can play out the way it's supposed to,")

She wanted to tell him that she didn't deserve their kindness. That she wasn't as good as they believed.

She handed the phone back to Seth.

_'_ _Tell them I'll be at Central in two days,'_ She signed, as she got up. _'I'll be right back,'_

She barely made it into the bathroom, before heaving all of lunch into the toilet.

* * *

Seth had fussed over her, trying to convince her to take it easy for the rest of the day. Lola just glared at him.

_'_ _And let you deal with everything? Never,_ ' She had signed, looking over some of Wagner's paperwork. _'Besides, that old gasbag just left us all of his work to do,'_

In the middle of the night, Wagner had packed his bags and simply left a note for them on the refrigerator reading:

_"_ _Good luck brats. I'm going on a vacation and I'll be back in two weeks,"_

Seth had simply shrugged at that, as Lola fumed quietly.

It wasn't out of the ordinary for Wagner to take random trips out to the countryside, but Lola had thought that he had finally started to take his job a bit more seriously.

Ever since Seth became certified his trips became more and more frequent.

Seth had gone out to make a house call for one of the town's elderly residents, leaving Lola alone to hold down the area.

She was focused on taking notes, as someone knocked frantically on the door.

She rushed over to the door, tying her hair up into a ponytail, as she heard someone arguing from the other side of the door.

Once she opened the door, she was met with an elderly man that was dressed rather outlandishly.

He had a bright purple suit, and a golden monocle. His white hair was gelled back completely.

A girl with dark brown skin, and dark shades held the man up. As a young boy lugged the suitcases behind him.

The man simply grinned at her.

"Are you the doctor, ma'am?"

* * *

The man let out a rather annoying laugh, as he looked down at his now healed foot. He claimed to have fallen down near the train station.

"You're a lifesaver, my dear," The man chortled. "How much will it cost me?"

Lola simply shook her head, and picked up her notepad.

_"_ _Don't worry about any costs,"_ She had written. _"I'm just glad you're okay now,"_

The man hummed at that, as one of his assistants-the young boy- bounced up to her.

"Miss," The boy called out pulling on Lola's apron. "That was alchemy you used, right?"

Lola simply nodded her head, as she went to clean up in the back. The boy had an iron grip, however.

"That was so weird," he replied, holding onto her apron as she kept walking around the office. "You clapped your hands then _boom_! Gramps got healed,"

"Let go of her, Mikael," The woman said quietly standing off to the side. "Can't you see she's trying to work?"

Mikael scowled at that, before sticking his tongue out at the woman.

"It's fine," He retorted, not letting go of Lola's apron. "She doesn't mind,"

Lola did mind, she just didn't have the heart to pull the boy off of her.

(He looks like a puppy-)

The woman just scoffed, as the elderly man tapped his cane.

"That's enough, Mikael," he replied, causing the boy to scowl. "Listen to Kaya. You're annoying this nice young lady,"

Lola gave the man a grateful smile, as Mikael finally let go of her.

"But, I do have to ask, young lady," The man replied, adjusting his monocle. "Where did someone as young as you learn such advanced alchemy?"

(Something about his tone worried her-)

_"_ _I was an avid reader when I was younger,_ " Lola wrote simply. " _My mother had a lot of alchemy books laying around,"_

(Mary had been a perfectionist, to an obsessive degree, but alchemy was something that she hadn't been able to grasp to the fullest. She said she had wanted Lola to be better than she was. Instead of picture books, Mary would go over medical textbooks with her. Instead of lullabies or bedtime stories, Mary would give her alchemy textbooks to read to herself-)

"Is that so?" He stated looking slightly intrigued. "I was never able to pick up the science myself, but I've always found it so fascinating. Would you mind telling me a bit more?"

"But she can't talk," Mikael replied, looking at some of their books without permission. Kaya smacked the back of his head as he reached over to grab one, as she gave Lola a slightly apologetic look.

(She couldn't really tell with those shades on)

"I'm sorry about him," Kaya stated, as Mikael rubbed the back of his head. "His manners could use some work,"

_"_ _Don't worry about it,"_ Lola wrote, before going to pick up one of her notebooks. She looked over towards the elderly man. " _And I don't mind sharing my notes with you,"_

(Not anything important of course, but it wouldn't hurt for one more person to learn about alchemy-)

The man took the notebook with an impish grin.

"Thank you, young lady," He replied, as he hopped to his feet. He straightened out his coat, and tipped his hat "I'm afraid I never got your name,"

_"_ _Lola,"_ The girl had written, before going in the back to get them a basket of treats.

She put the basket in Kaya's hand, grinning as the woman let out a sound of surprise.

"I-thank you," The woman replied, slightly flustered. "But, we can't leave without paying,"

_"_ _I insist,"_ Lola wrote, looking slightly affronted. _"It was only a simple fix, there's no need for you to waste money. There's a lovely inn on the other side of town, use it to get a nice room over there,"_

"You're much too kind, Miss," The man replied, as he went to pull something out of his pocket. He flipped through a tiny book, and went to write something down. "But I'm afraid I can't let your hospitality go unrewarded,"

He ripped out a page from the book, and placed it into Lola's hand.

"I'm afraid I don't have much hard cash on me," He admitted. "But if you deposit that it should be enough,"

Lola attempted to give it back, but the man ducked out of her reach wagging a finger at her.

"No take backs!" The man cackled, as he turned around. "Have a lovely day,"

Lola just nodded dumbly, as he ushered his two companions to follow him. Mikael waved excitedly, as Kaya gave her a more reserved nod.

As they made their way out of the office, Lola observed the check he had given her and took note of the strange symbol that was on it.

(An umbrella?)

She choked once she saw the amount that was written.

(Nobody can have that much money just laying around-)

There was another knock on the door, and Lola quickly put the check away as she went to deal with the next patient.

* * *

That evening as they tidied up the office, Lola told Seth about the eccentric old man.

Seth whistled, as Lola showed him the check.

"You always get the most interesting patients," He complained, as he looked over it a bit more closely. "With this much money we could renovate-"

Seth froze, as he narrowed his eyes a bit more. Lola tapped him on the shoulder.

_'_ _What's wrong?'_ she signed. Seth didn't answer, and instead inspected the check more closely.

"Lola," He said slowly, leaning on the couch, his brow furrowed. "You said it was just an elderly man right? Did he look out of the ordinary in any way?"

Lola bit her lip, before shaking her head.

_'_ _He was very strange,'_ Lola signed. _'Had a bright purple suit on and a golden monocle,'_

Seth remained silent, as Lola got to work on organizing their new shipment of medicine.

_'_ _What's wrong?'_ Lola eventually signed. _'Do you know him by any chance?'_

"Thomas Hargreaves," Seth read aloud, showing her his name on the check. "Lola, he's one of the richest men in the country, possibly even the world."

Lola dropped the crate she was holding.

She hurried to gather the medicine bottles, before giving Seth a confused look.

_'_ _Seriously?'_ Seth just nodded his head in response.

"He doesn't make public appearances, but he's mostly known for revamping the automobile industry and the railway system," Seth cited. "He started his own company when he was only about twenty years old. Have you ever heard of Hargreaves Enterprises?"

_'_ _No,'_

"They never taught you about him in school?" Seth questioned looking a bit confused. "You've never seen this symbol on any cars or trucks?"

_'_ _I grew up in the countryside, Seth. They weren't focused on teaching us about billionaires,'_ Lola signed, flabbergasted. _'Are you sure it's the same guy?_ '

"I recognize the symbol," he replied. "A black umbrella is what he uses as his mark,"

(She felt as if she should be more excited about that-)

Lola wiped her hands on her apron, as she went to check on the woman they had sleeping in the back room.

_'_ _Oh well_ ,' Lola signed, shrugging her shoulders. _'It doesn't really matter now, does it?'_

"Doesn't matter?" Seth repeated, looking at the redhead as if she was crazy. "Lola if he's still in town we could talk to him. If we got even a small fraction of his support the clinic could expand. The medicine in this town could be upgraded,"

Lola froze at that.

(They were the only official medical care that this town had. There were no large hospitals, or even many stores that sold medicine. If Seth was right, then that meant-)

Lola peeked in on Ms. Taylor, a middle aged woman who gave music lessons and free babysitting services to anyone in need of them. She lived alone, and had been found passed out at the bottom of her staircase. They were keeping her in the room overnight.

_'_ _I'll go and find him,'_ Lola signed, closing the door on her softly. _'He seemed to like me. Maybe I can convince him to help out,'_

Seth just nodded at that, before looking back down at the check.

"Wagner is going to freak out when he sees this," He mumbled, handing the check back to Lola.

* * *

"Hi M-miss Lola," The tailor's daughter stuttered out. Hazel eyes peeked up at her as she shuffled some fabric. "How c-can I help you?"

Shirley was a sweet girl, always had her head caught in her notebook designing a dress for one of her mother's customers. She didn't like looking at people much, however.

(After what had happened to her, Lola couldn't blame her-)

She had a small gap in between her front teeth, and a slight stutter that always had her bowing her head in shame. Lola wrote something on her notepad.

_"_ _Good morning Shirley,_ " She had written, giving her a sheepish smile. _"I need help finding the right dress for tomorrow. My fashion sense isn't too spectacular,"_

(It wasn't as tacky as Ed, but it could still use some work-)

Every year, Barcombe held an annual festival to celebrate the founding of the town. While the town was mostly laid back for much of the year, this was the one night that everyone would let loose.

Lola didn't usually go to the festival due to the fact that the clinic would be packed to the brim the next day with individuals who either got too drunk, or suffered because someone else decided to drink heavily. She told herself she was being practical.

Seth had told her that she just needed to let loose and have some fun once in a while.

(-She remembered the Spring Sheep festival back in Resembool. When they were little Winry and her would always sneak off before the festivities and try to feed the sheep some of their food. Lola knew they wouldn't take it, and that they had only needed to eat grass, but Winry was convinced that the sheep had to be starving. One year they had accidently let the sheep out, and the townspeople watched on as the sheep paraded through the roads-)

She didn't care about the festival itself, but she knew if Hargreaves was still in the area he would probably come and check it out.

Shirley's eyes lit up.

"You mean the festival!" The girl exclaimed, clapping her hands together as her stutter practically disappeared. "I heard t-there might be someone really wealthy coming to it. No one that important _ever_ comes here-,"

(Hargreaves-)

" _Are you coming?_ " Lola wrote raising a brow. Shirley froze at that, before shaking her head.

"I can't," She whispered, patting down her hair. _"_ I don't think anyone would w-want to be seen with me. I hope you enjoy it though, M-miss Lola,"

Lola frowned at that, before writing on her notepad once more.

_"_ _Why wouldn't anyone want to be seen with you?"_ She wrote, furrowing her brow. " _You're beautiful,"_

"You're t-too kind, Miss Lola," Shirley replied, turning away. "But please, don't lie to me,"

_"_ _Who said I was lying?"_ Lola wrote, making her way in front of the girl, looking slightly affronted. " _Why would I waste my time writing down a lie?"_

Shirley blushed at that, before clearing her throat.

"W-what color would you like your dress to be Miss Lola?" The brunette questioned instead, looking slightly pleased. Lola pursed her lips.

_"_ _What do you think would look good on me?"_ Lola wrote. _"I don't want anything too flashy,"_

"I think black w-would look marvelous on you," Shirley replied, clapping her hands together. "Or even purple? We have some dresses in the back if you'd like to try them on,"

_"_ _I don't want anything too flashy or showy,"_ Lola reiterated. _"I don't even plan on staying for long,"_

"M-miss Lola, _"_ Shirley replied, looking slightly aghast. _"_ You could have so much fun though,"

_"_ _If you came with me then maybe I'd decide to stay a little longer,"_ Lola teased, a cheeky grin on her face. _"Come on Shirley, do it for me?"_

Shirley pursed her lips at that, as her mother Antonia walked in holding a few designs.

"Lola," The woman said warmly, her voice echoing throughout the room. "What are you standing there for? Shirley dear get her a seat,"

Antonia was a tall woman, towering over almost everyone in the town. She had brown skin, and a rather infectious smile. Her eyes were always light and playful.

Shirley went to do as her mother instructed, before stopping as Lola shook her head.

_"_ _No need,"_ She wrote down.

"Hush child," Antonia replied, practically forcing her to sit down. Brown skin practically glowing. "You know you're always a welcomed guest here,"

Lola just smiled shyly at that, as she reluctantly took the seat.

When she had first come to this town, Shirley had been one of the first people she had met. She was the same age as Winry, and reminded Lola of the engineer with the way she would fangirl over different designs.

(Winry breathed automail. It was in her blood-)

One night Shirley had been attacked by a man who had broken into the tailor shop. He had gotten angry when he found that the money wasn't being kept here, and had sliced open Shirley's side.

Wagner and Seth had both been out making a house call that evening, so it had just been Lola holding everything down as Antonia brought Shirley into the office.

When she had clapped her hands and healed Shirley's wound almost instantaneously, the two had held her in the highest regard ever since.

(She didn't feel deserving of their praise. It made her feel so-)

"How about this dress, dear?" Antonia stated, showing Lola a red, off the shoulder, low cut dress.

Lola pursed her lips at that, before simply giving Antonia a look.

"You're an adult now," Antonia replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Showing some skin won't be a bad thing. Make the boys here go crazy,"

_"_ _I don't care about any of that,_ " Lola wrote, stifling a broken laugh. _"I have too many plans to worry about any boys,"_

"That is what I love about you," Antonia said, shaking her head fondly. "You got your head set on straight,"

Lola smiled at that, as Shirley brought out a light blue, sleeveless dress.

(She always loved the color blue-)

_"_ _I'll take this one,"_ Lola wrote, before taking the dress from Shirley. She pressed it against her body, and saw that while it was long on Shirley, it would only reach Lola's knees.

(Why am I so tall-)

Antonia let out a sigh at that, as she gave Lola a stubborn look.

"One of these days I'm going to doll you up," She replied, wagging a finger in her direction. "You're much too pretty to be dressing so plainly,"

Lola just rubbed the back of her head, before pulling out her money pouch.

"N-no, Miss Lola," Shirley stated, shaking her head. "This o-one is on the house,"

Lola froze at that, as Shirley placed the dress carefully into a bag for her. Antonia simply gave her a pat on the back.

"Have some fun dear," The woman said, as she walked into the back room. "You deserve it,"

* * *

Children ran past her, as the music began to pick up. Lola sagged her shoulders, as she walked aimlessly throughout the streets, perusing each booth.

Her and Seth had come together, but the moment they had made it into the area, a group of girls dressed to the nines came to tear him away.

(She had worn the light blue dress, and her hair had been put into a simple bun. She didn't wear any makeup though. It seemed like such a waste of time-)

He had tried to get rid of them, but Lola had just waved him off.

_'Make sure you meet me before this is all over,_ ' She had signed instead. _'I'll go look around and see if I can spot him,'_

He had given her a sheepish, apologetic smile, as he went off with them.

Lola took a sandwich from one of the vendors, Mr. Micheals, as she tried to keep an eye out for where Hargreaves could be.

(Wouldn't he be surrounded by people? She was sure some of the vultures in this town would love to be acquainted with someone as wealthy as he was-)

She waved at some of her previous patients, as she made her way down the road. One of the children stopped to give her a flower crown.

(Al used to make her flower crowns when he was little. He would use alchemy to fuse the flowers together for practice-)

Ms. Taylor-who after having a nice meal and taking some medicine- was looking much better. She crushed Lola in a hug, as she passed by her booth.

"Make sure to stop by later," The woman called out, as her students pulled at her skirt. "The children put on a show together. I'm sure you'll enjoy it,"

Lola just smiled and nodded her head.

(If only I could say something, anything-You said you would stop getting upset over what's already been done-)

She kept an eye out for that ridiculous purple suit, but fell short every time.

(Where would he be? I could've sworn-)

She felt something brush against the money pouch she had resting on her side.

A rather lanky boy made a run for it, holding Lola's money pouch in his hand. Lola ran a hand over her face.

(Why today of all days-)

She was surprised to see that he was promptly slammed to the ground.

Kaya pinned his shoulders to the ground, before tossing Lola's pouch back towards her.

"Apologize," The woman hissed, turning him towards Lola. Lola just blinked, as the boy who had just attempted to rob her was now bowing in her direction at a mile a minute.

(She's so intimidating-)

Lola just waved her hands in front of her, as if to say 'don't worry about it'.

(It was dark out, and nobody would be able to read her notepad anyway at this time-)

Kaya let the boy go, as he ran as fast as his legs would take him away from the scene. Lola gave Kaya a look of gratitude.

(How can I-)

Lola grabbed Kaya's hand, and mouthed the words "Thank you,".

Kaya simply shrugged, before gently taking her hand away.

"No problem," She replied simply, adjusting her shades. Lola wanted to ask why she was wearing shades in the dark, but decided against it. "Mikael was the one who wanted to come to this thing anyway. The moment we got here he ditched me to play with some of the kids,"

Lola pursed her lips at that, before grabbing the woman's hand and pulling her to an area with more lights.

_"_ _Sorry about that,"_ Lola wrote, _"I didn't know if you'd be able to see what I was writing in the dark,_ "

"It's alright," Kaya replied, taking a drink from the booth they were standing at. "Have you ever thought about learning sign language? Not many people know it, but it's taught in some schools-"

' _You know sign language?_ ' Lola signed, placing her notepad off to the side. Excitement bubbling in her gut.

_'_ _Yes,_ ' Kaya signed back. ' _My mother was deaf, so I learned it when I was a girl. I'm trying to teach it to Mikael,'_

_'_ _Are you Mikael's personal tutor?_ ' Lola asked. Kaya simply nodded her head.

_'_ _Mikael is Mr Hargreaves' grandson,'_ Kaya signed, reminding Lola of her previous objective. _'Hargreaves is Mikael's only living relative. Since Hargreaves travels a lot, he hired me to accompany him and take over Mikael's studies,'_

_'_ _Is Mr Hargreaves here with you?_ ' Lola questioned. Kaya's face soured at that.

_'_ _No,'_ She replied. ' _He left me to deal with the little hellion all on my own. He was actually rather interested in your notes on alchemy. They've been keeping him up most nights,'_

(This was her chance-)

_'_ _I'd love for the chance to meet up with him before you guys leave town,'_ Lola brought forth, leaning forward. _'There's so much more I could teach him,'_

_'_ _We leave town tomorrow night,_ ' Kaya replied. _'We're going out of the country for a bit,'_

(Tomorrow night-that was so soon-)

_'_ _Could I meet him tonight?'_

* * *

_Kairos is also posted on Fanfiction.Net. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter:)_


	4. IV.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood.

* * *

IV.

* * *

_("Lola, we promise we'll make it up to you. Once we find this we can-")_

_She stared out of the train window, honey colored eyes slightly puffy as she rubbed at her freckled nose._

_It all made sense, she was the misplaced piece in all of this._

_(Memories came flooding through her psyche like a monsoon-She had always felt out of place-She was never meant to be here in the first place-"Do you think I'm crazy? Just like my mother is?")_

_"Are you alright?" Lola hurriedly wiped away her tears, as she pulled out her notepad._

_She sent the woman next to her a smile, taking note of her pregnant form._

_(She has to be at least six months along-)_

_"I'm fine," Lola had written. "Thank you for the concern,"_

_Green eyes brightened at that, before rubbing the back of her head._

_"Oh it's no problem," She replied, shoulders sagging a bit. "You just seemed a little… sad about something,"_

_("I don't want your help," She had signed before leaving them. "Please just worry about yourselves,"- She would talk to them when all of this was over. When Al got his body back and she didn't feel guilt clawing its way through her every time they had a conversation-)_

_"If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?" Lola wrote instead, placing a cheery smile onto her face. The woman looked affronted at that, and leaned back._

_"What makes you think I'm pregnant?" She asked accusingly. Lola's eyes widened, as she waved her hands in front of her._

_(You can never say the right thing-You idiot-)_

_Her worries were eased, however, as the woman beamed letting out a booming laugh. She patted her stomach gently._

_"I'm getting close to eight months actually," She chirped. "I was visiting my parents back in my hometown. My husband didn't want me travelling, but we still have a few weeks before I'm expected to deliver,"_

_(It really wasn't safe to be travelling when she was this far along-She should be taking it easy-)_

_"Well congratulations," Lola wrote anyways, "Any names in mind?"_

_"We're not too sure yet," The woman admitted. "My husband thinks it's going to be a girl though, we actually have a bit of a bet going on. If it's a girl he gets to name her, if it's a boy I get to name him,"_

_"That's so sweet," Lola wrote, swooning. "I hope everything goes well for you two. Your husband seems like a great guy,"_

_"He is," The woman said proudly, laughing a bit. "One of the greatest guys you'll ever meet,"_

_(That's so sweet-maybe one day I could have something like that-)_

_The train came to a stop._

_Lola went to grab her suitcase, only to realize that they were nowhere near the next train station._

_They were stuck on the middle of the tracks._

_The other passengers began to speak amongst themselves, as someone walked onto their cart._

_"We're sorry for the delay," The conductor called out, looking slightly remorseful. "There's no need to panic. We've run into some technical difficulties, but we'll hopefully be up and running shortly. Our ten thirty trip to Barcombe will have to be pushed back,"_

_Lola's brow furrowed at that, as she leaned back against her seat._

_(Just what I needed-Being late when I haven't even been accepted yet-)_

_Granny hadn't told her much about the man she was going to apprentice under, only that he had taught Sara and Mary for a short amount of time. That was how Sara and Mary had met._

_(He had also been in Ishval. He had been the one to call Sara and Yuriy and ask for them to come help-)_

_A tiny part of her hated him before she even got to know him._

_"Sweetheart," The woman called out, her breathing slightly labored. Lola snapped to attention and took note of how she was cradling her stomach._

_(Please don't tell me- Of all the times-)_

_"I hate to ask this of you," She said, breathing heavily. "But… I might need some help. I think my water just broke,"_

_Lola jumped up, taking her notepad out once again._

_"What's your name, ma'am?" She wrote frantically, taking note of what she had in her bag._

_(I have some blankets that could be used. Maybe one of the other passengers has water on them-)_

_"Gracia," The woman said through labored breaths, causing Lola to freeze. "Gracia Hughes,"_

_Lola stood there for a few moments, before Gracia's pained groan broke through her thoughts._

_(Help her now, worry about the rest later-)_

_She helped Gracia get as comfortable as possible, using some of her blankets to help elevate her._

_"This wasn't supposed to happen," Gracia said, shaking her head. "I felt a few cramps before, but I didn't think-I thought it was normal to feel that,"_

_(Another thing that needed to be revamped- There wasn't enough knowledge about childbirth given to the public-)_

_Lola shook her head, and patted Gracia's shoulder._

_"You got this," Lola wrote, giving her an encouraging smile as some of the other passengers finally got wind of the situation. "The train will get moving soon, and we'll get you the help you need,"_

_"What if something goes wrong?" Gracia replied, shaking her head. Her eyes watered slightly, as she shook her head. "I hate it when Maes is right. He kept telling me to take it easy but I didn't think it would hurt to just go on a quick train ride. I haven't seen my parents in ages and they're getting too old to come and visit me. I wasn't even supposed to have the baby until next month,"_

_"You will be fine," Lola wrote, smiling still. "I want you to try and regulate your breathing. Don't stress yourself out,"_

_Gracia let out a scream._

_"Is she alright?" One of the other passengers finally asked, walking up next to her._

_"She's going into labor," Lola wrote, before tying her hair up. She snapped on a pair of gloves. "Please ask the other passengers if they have any water to spare."_

_The man nodded at that, as Lola grabbed Gracia's hand smiling as the woman squeezed for dear life._

_(This was not how she expected the train ride to go-)_

* * *

(She had delivered babies before, but that had been in a clinic with the help of trained professionals. Never by herself in the middle of a broken down train with a woman who wasn't even meant to be due. Needless to say Gracia had been more than grateful when all was said and done. Maes practically praised Lola as a goddess-)

* * *

Hargreaves had paid for everyone that was staying in the inn that night.

(She knew rich people were of a different breed, but this was a bit too much-)

The innkeeper, Ian, had been more than a bit surprised at the strange request. But the moment Hargreaves showed him the check -which was way over what the amount for everyone would have been- he had been willing to bend over backwards for the man.

"He's loaded," Ian had whispered to Lola, pulling her aside. "When you talk to him, try and convince him to come back here some time okay?"

Lola nodded her head, as Mikael grabbed her hand.

"Miss Lola," Mikael said, rocking her back and forth. "Are you having dinner with us?"

Lola gave him a strained smile, nodding her head and taking note of the boy's iron grip.

(He's so strong for his age-)

"The festival was so fun," Mikael replied, his face covered in paint from one of the booths. "Do you really have those every year?"

Before Lola could bring out her notepad to answer, Mikael rushed away from her to talk to some of the other guests. Lola stood awkwardly for a moment, before pocketing her notepad once again.

"He has a bit of a hard time focusing," Kaya said, rubbing the back of her head. "He's only 8 right now, so I'm hoping he'll get more serious as he gets older,"

Kaya froze for a moment, before simply shaking her head.

"Knowing his grandfather he'll probably stay the same for the rest of his life," Kaya groaned, as she took the key to their room.

 _'You must really love them,'_ Lola signed, looking at Mikael bombarding some of the other guests with some random questions about their cat. Kaya simply snorted at that.

"There are worse people to be stuck with," She admitted softly, before clearing her throat. "Mikael! Get over here, we're going up!"

Mikaels face soured at that, as he said bye to the young girl he was speaking to. The girl seemed sad to see him go, as her father tugged her along.

"I was making a friend," Mikael replied, pouting slightly as he . Kaya simply shrugged.

"We're leaving tomorrow night," She replied, leading them up the stairs. "You can make new friends in our next destination,"

"It's not the same," Mikael replied, shaking his head. "We're always moving around. Whenever I finally make a friend we leave and I never see them again,"

"I thought kids loved adventures," Kaya replied, ruffling Mikael's hair. "It's not that bad. Didn't you write to that boy we met back in Colton?"

"It's not the same," Mikael grouched, pushing Kaya's hand away. He peeked up at Lola and brightened momentarily.

"Miss Lola!" He asked her, his voice bright. "What do you wanna talk to gramps about?"

(There it was, that feeling in her stomach-)

 _"I just want to share some more notes with him,_ " She wrote, smiling nervously. _"He seemed to like what I had to show him before,"_

(Was she doing the right thing? It was for a good cause, but how tasteless was it to just ask somebody for money-Mama and Papa wouldn't have done that-)

"Could you teach me about alchemy?" Mikael questioned, gripping onto her arm once more.

Before Lola could answer, a loud laugh broke through their conversation.

"The young lady doesn't have the time for that," Hargreaves chortled, ruffling Mikaels's hair as the hyperactive boy rushed over to where his grandfather was. "Besides, if anything she'd be teaching _me_ first,"

The boy and his grandfather began to go back and forth as they walked intoo their room. Kaya walked in after them, shaking her head fondly. Lola remained frozen in place.

(Lola and Ed arguing, Winry jumping in to defend her honor as Al tried to be the peacemaker. Granny looking over them with a fond smile-A happy family)

She missed it so much.

"Is something wrong?" Kaya asked, standing in the doorway. Lola jolted, before shaking her head.

(It's alright, you already made your decision-)

 _'No,'_ Lola signed with a sheepish smile, walking in after them. _'Nothing at all,'_

* * *

Mikael and Hargreaves both dug into their food.

Lola picked at the dish-steak and mashed potatoes- as she listened to their conversation.

"You should've come to the festival, Gramps," Mikael stated, his mouth full. "They had so many games to play!"

Hargreaves simply chortled at that, shaking his head.

"It wouldn't have been fair for everyone else if I had come to play," He said rather pompously. "I play to win Mikael, you know that,"

Kaya rolled her eyes at that, before turning her head towards Lola.

"Is the food alright for you?" The woman questioned. Lola quickly smiled at that, and shoved the mashed potatoes into her mouth.

She gave Kaya a thumbs up.

(The food was too heavy-Ever since that night she had a hard time eating tougher foods-)

"You're very weird Miss Lola," Mikael noted, his food already finished. Lola held back a laugh at that, as Kaya smacked Mikael's shoulder.

"Mikael," Kaya hissed. "For goodness sake, have some tact,"

"I'm just being honest!"

"You're being rude!"

 _'It's alright,'_ Lola signed to Kaya, smiling nervously. ' _I am a little weird.'_

Kaya cleared her throat at that.

"Well, if _you're_ not offended by it,"

"Well I for one think it's a good thing to be weird!" Hargreaves replied, wiping at his mouth. He too had finished his meal in mere seconds. "We're all a bit strange in our own ways,"

"I didn't mean to insult you, Miss Lola," Mikael replied, looking frantic. "I meant it in a good way!"

 _"It's alright,"_ Lola wrote, pushing her meal to the side. " _I know you didn't mean any harm,"_

Mikale let out a sigh of relief at that, before grinning once more.

"Miss Lola, your hair is really pretty," The boy stated cheerfully. "It's like… strawberries!"

_(He had held up a bucket of strawberries, a shit eating grin on his face._

_"They look just like you," he said proudly. Lola had just placed a hand on her hip, looking rather unimpressed._

_"Is that supposed to be an insult, you human micro?"_

_"Who are you-"_

_Al had stepped in between them, always the peacemaker._

_"Brother didn't mean anything by it Lola," Al said, a placating smile-she missed that smile so much- on his face. Ed had calmed down momentarily._

_"Besides," Ed said, sticking his nose up into the air. "Least I'm not a giant like you. Beansprout,"_

_"At least I can reach the top shelf!"_

_"You're not ladylike at all!"_

_"Shut up!")_

"Miss Lola?" Lola blinked, before giving Mikael a soft smile.

("I've been teaching Mikael sign language-")

 _'Thank you,_ ' She signed simply. Mikael blushed momentarily.

"It's no problem," He replied, looking down at his empty plate.

* * *

Mikael had knocked out immediately, Kaya following shortly after. The woman had kept her shades on for the entirety of dinner. When Lola had asked her about it, she got oddly quiet.

"I have sensitive eyes," Kaya had said simply, before retiring for the night. Lola didn't push, and instead thanked the woman for her hospitality.

It was just her and Hargreaves.

(Now is your chance-Be charming-)

"Barcombe is a rather interesting town," The elderly man disclosed first, rising from his place at the table. He adjusted his monocle. "How long have you been living here, my dear?"

 _"About 3 and a half years,_ " Lola wrote, before picking up her plate. _"It's not a bad place to live,"_

(How to bring it up-)

"I'm sure it isn't," the man responded jovially. "Where did you live before?"

 _"With my family in Resembool,"_ Lola replied wistfully. " _It's a beautiful town. You should definitely stop by on your travels,"_

(When all this was over, she'd be able to enjoy staying there to the fullest. No guilt, no weird feelings-)

Hargreaves nodded at that, and for a moment a bit of an awkward silence ran through them. Lola took a deep breath, steeling herself.

(Don't be weird. Be charming and sweet-)

"I'm sorry to be so upfront with you, Miss Lola," Hargreaves stated, his voice slightly low. "But, I'm actually very glad you decided to come and see me. There's something I've been meaning to ask you,"

Lola raised her head at that, and prompted the man to continue. His eyes were slightly sharp.

"I've met a few alchemists in my day," The man replied, still staring at her. "But all of them had to undergo years-possibly even decades of training in order to hone their craft. None of them had as such a deep understanding of medical alchemy as you do,"

Lola held the man's gaze, hands fisting into her dress.

 _"Your point being?"_ Lola eventually wrote.

(Remain calm and rational-)

He pulled out the book Lola had given him, composed of some of her notes, and flipped through it.

"Stem cell therapy," He read off, causing Lola to flinch. "The creation of antipsychotic drugs meant to alter brain chemistry. How is it that a seventeen year old girl from _Resembool_ of all places has this much knowledge on the human body?"

(The book she had given him, she must've written about some of her research in it as well-stupidstupidstupid)

 _"My parents were doctors,"_ Lola wrote calmly. _"They always had books lying around,"_

"I've been around for a long time, my girl," Hargreaves replied calmly. "There's no knowledge of these things in any medical books. Try again,"

(What else is there to say? She would just have to-)

 _"How else would I have gotten this knowledge?_ " Lola wrote, tilting her head to the side-the picture of cluelessness. _"You just said there's no knowledge of this in any medical book. There's no way for a girl like me to have figured it out on my own,"_

(That's right bastard, you can't prove anything-)

Hargreaves continued to stare at her, as Lola plastered an innocent smile on her face.

(What was he aiming at-)

The man let out a booming laugh.

Lola jumped at the sound, as he used his chair to steady himself.

"Sorry for scaring you, my dear," Hargreaves crooned, wiping a tear from his eye. "This wasn't meant to be an interrogation,"

 _"You certainly had me fooled,"_ Lola wrote, still smiling cheerfully. Hargreaves just shook his head, laughter still echoing off the walls, before going in the back to retrieve one of his own books.

"Please," The man replied, a cheerful grin on his face. He placed his notebook in front of her. "Look through this for me,"

Lola raised a brow at that, but pulled the notebook closer to her.

The notebook was incredibly worn, and Lola could tell that it had gone through some damage over the years. With a deep breath, she opened up to the first page.

(It can't be-)

Tears streamed down her face.

She placed a hand over her mouth as she looked over the numerous designs that were displayed on the page. She let out a hiccuping laugh.

(Airplanes, submarines, cellphones, portable laptops, social media outlets-)

It couldn't be true.

 **"A-are you-** " Lola took a breath to study herself. Her voice mangled. **"It can't be-"**

"My mother was," Hargreaves disclosed, tears shedding in his own eyes. "Before she passed, she had left me this. She always thought she was alone,"

(She had thought she was crazy-All these visions of a past life, of a story that hadn't even happened yet-)

"The moment I saw your research I just had to ask-"

Lola crushed Hargreaves in a hug.

 **"Thank you,** " She said slowly, carefully. " **Thank you,"**

Hargreaves returned the hug.

* * *

(They spent the rest of the evening talking about Lola's past life. Different inventions Hargreaves was looking to implement. Lola's idea of a medical breakthrough-She wasn't alone. There had been others like her-)

* * *

Seth's brow twitched slightly, as he looked down at her.

Lola just grinned impishly.

"So, let me see if I understand this," Seth replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You went there to ask the old man for money, and he ended up liking you so much that he wants you to go to _Xing_ with him?"

Lola just nodded her head excitedly.

 _'Seth, we really hit it off,'_ Lola signed, looking incredibly pleased. ' _He told me about his research, and asked me if I'd be interested in going to Xing,'_

"Did you even ask for the money?"

' _I didn't have to_ ,' Lola signed in reply. ' _Whenever he passes by a town, he tries to leave a little donation in his wake. The mayor was given some of the money, and it's going to be redistributed,'_

(She was glad she didn't have to ask. The idea of asking for money just made her feel strange-)

"Lola you can't just leave the country," Seth tried to explain. "Do you even have a passport?"

_'Hargreaves will take care of that,'_

"Your family?" Seth tried. "What'll your sister think?"

Lola froze momentarily at that, before sagging slightly.

_'Granny will be fine. She was adventurous when she was younger too. Winry on the other hand…'_

Lola stopped, before rubbing the back of her head.

 _'She'll be pissed,'_ Lola replied, smiling nervously. _'But, she'll get over it,'_

(Visions of the blonde holding her wrench threateningly in her direction-)

 _'She'll be fine,_ ' Lola decided finally. ' _Besides, this is a great opportunity. Win will understand that,'_

(She needed to get away from it all. Everything needed to go according to plan. Her being here was just-)

She thought of Ed and Al for a moment.

(They wouldn't care. They had much bigger things to worry about than what she was doing-)

' _You could come with me,_ ' Lola signed, before grabbing Seth's hand. ' _We could learn about alkahestry-'_

"What about Barcombe Lola?" Seth asked, shaking his head. "The people here love you. You were gone for a week, and people would file in just to ask when you'd be back,"

Lola looked down at her lap for a moment.

(She did love it here. She loved the people, even the catty ones. But this opportunity-)

Mary had always said to take every chance she could to get ahead.

 _'I won't be gone forever,'_ Lola signed. _'But there's so much of the world I want to see and experience. Hargreaves is giving that to me on a silver platter,'_

Seth stared at her for a few moments, before letting out a slight laugh.

"Yeah, I figured you would leave here eventually," Seth replied, leaning back. "You have so many grand ideas. This tiny town can't hold you forever. While I'm grateful for the offer, I can't go with you,"

Lola nodded her head at that, letting go of his hand.

"I'll support you no matter what," Seth stated firmly, running a hand through his hair. "But I do think this is a bit sudden. When would you even leave?"

(After Hughes' funeral-)

 _'In about two or three weeks,'_ She eventually signed, looking out the window. ' _After I go to Central for Elysia's birthday, I plan to stay there for a bit. Maybe meet up with that old friend of Wagner's. Then, I'll come back and say goodbye. I'll talk to wagner too,'_

(She couldn't change a damn thing, so the least she could do was-)

"I'm happy for you, red," Seth replied, finally smiling. "When you come back make sure to tell me all you can about alkahestry,"

Lola grinned at that.

 _'Of course,_ ' The redhead signed.

"Maybe when you get back we could finally get married?"

_'Never in a million years,'_

"Worth a shot,"

* * *

While Resembool and Barcombe always had an air of freedom to them, Central always felt so polluted.

(Something felt so sickening about this place. Whenever she passed by here it was so-)

"Lola!" The redhead plastered a smile on her face.

She waved cheerfully towards Maes, as the man rushed forward and swung her in the air in a hug.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," The man replied, picking her suitcase up from her and looking mock serious. "You never told me you knew the Elric brothers,"

(Damn, she didn't want to deal with this so soon-)

 _'It's a bit complicated,_ ' Lola signed, still smiling. _'But, they're my family,_ '

(No matter what-"Take care of them for me , Lola,")

"I guess genius runs in the family then," Maes replied lightly. "We had a spare room set up for you, but Elysia wanted to share with you. I hope you don't mind,"

 _'Of course not,'_ Lola signed, looking scandalized at the idea. She smirked slightly, before signing _'If you're not careful Mr. Hughes, I might just end up taking Elysia for myself,'_

"My little angel would never," Maes replied, sticking his nose up into the air. "She's much too happy with me and Gracia,"

(She was. The Hughes were a perfect family, and they wouldn't get the chance to continue being that perfect family-)

 _'You said Elysia was getting better at writing?'_ Maes swooned at that.

"She's the best in her class! She's a little prodigy in the making. She's even been getting better at sign language,"

Lola's face warmed at that as she looked down at the ground.

' _You all didn't have to pick up sign language to accommodate me_ ,' Lola signed, pursing her lips _. 'It would've been fine-_ '

"We were happy to," Maes replied, brushing it off. "Gracia picked it up easily, and Elysia enjoys learning it,"

Maes adjusted his glasses, before giving Lola a warm look.

"You're not a burden Lola,"

(You are going to die. I want to help you, but I can't-)

Lola smiled, as he told her more stories about Elysia.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter:)


	5. V.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

* * *

V.

* * *

(That day was fuzzy, she tried so hard to forget-)

She had been laying on the ground, blood trickling out of her mouth as her eyes blinked open.

("What happened?" Pinako would ask her later on, Ed crying out in pain from the back room. Al's armor shook as he sat in the corner. Lola staring blankly on ahead-)

That was the question wasn't it? What. Had. Happened?

(She remembers fighting with the boys. About what, she couldn't even remember-)

It had been raining that day. The boys hadn't come over for dinner that evening. She had watched their house in the distance. Their attic light flickering.

Their food remained untouched.

She had put on her raincoat, packed up all of their food and told Granny she would be back soon.

(The last full sentence she had ever been able to say to Granny-)

The house had been quiet when she walked in. She called out for the boys, but there was no answer. She had slowly walked up the stairs, hugging the food close to her hopeful to call a truce.

She could faintly hear them talking in the distance.

Her lips twitched upwards, as she made her way to the door.

She could hear yelling.

Her eyes widened as she pushed the door open, throwing the food packages onto the ground.

(Al being taken away-Her reaching towards him-PAIN, PAIN, PAIN-)

That was all she could bear to think about when it came to that day.

* * *

_(A sea of white surrounded her. A creepy smile._

_"Nice to see you again, Lola Graham,")_

* * *

"Lola!" Elysia called out, tiny hands reaching towards her. The redhead gushed, crushing the younger girl in a hug.

(She would never get tired of seeing Elysia-)

"She's been super excited to see you," Gracia said warmly, green eyes that were identical to her daughter's crinkling, as she wiped her hands on her apron. She gave Lola a warm hug of her own. "She could barely get any sleep last night,"

"Lola let's play," Elysia chirped, pulling on her hand. The girl grinned up at her, all teeth. "Daddy got me a new doll set!"

Lola smiled at that, as Maes let out a hearty laugh.

"Lola's tired, Princess," The man replied, swinging the girl up in the air. "Why don't you let her get situated before playing with you?"

Elysia scrunched up her nose cutely at that, as her father carried her away. Lola swooned.

(I want one. I have to adopt one of these days-)

"What's sitchuated mean?" The girl asked as she was taken in the back. Gracia chuckled, as Lola picked up her suitcase.

"I'm glad you could make it," Gracia said warmly. "I hope you can stay with us a bit longer this time?"

Lola smiled at that, placing her suitcase off to the side.

(I'll stay until after the funeral-)

 _'About two weeks, at least,'_ Lola signed, taking a look at what Gracia had cooked. _'You didn't have to go all out for me Gracia,'_

"Oh be quiet," Gracia replied, with no actual bite behind her words. "You couldn't expect me to start slacking did you? I made all of your favorites. We even have some apple pie coming later,"

Lola clapped her hands together at that, freckled face beaming.

 _'You're too good to me Gracia,'_ Lola signed, sheepish smile on her face. Gracia simply shook her head at that.

"You're practically family," Gracia replied, turning back to the stove. The smell of mashed potatoes and gravy wafting through the room. "Cooking some food is nothing,"

Lola gripped her suitcase at that.

("Stop burying Daddy!")

Lola turned away, following the sound of Maes and Elysia's voices from down the hall.

* * *

_(Dinner that night felt odd. Maes, Elysia, and Gracia were filled with warmth pulling Lola in whenever they could. The food was amazing. But even so, she felt so unsettled. How could she sit and laugh with them knowing what she knew-)_

* * *

Lola stared at the hospital doors for a moment, before giving Maes a blank look.

It was the man's day off, and the two had gone around getting any last minute preparations for Elysia's birthday party that evening.

She held Elysia's gift close to her, hoping that she had made the right choice.

(Nothing can make up for what's about to happen. But maybe-)

Afterwards, the man had promised to take her to see the public library, telling her about the multiple books published on neuroscience he would be able to get her access to. Instead, they were on the opposite side of town.

Maes whistled innocently.

 _'Why are we here?'_ She signed, careful to keep her face calm.

(She knew why. They were here-)

"Oh, no reason," Maes said smoothly, an easy smile on his face. "I wanted to visit someone, and I thought you'd be interested. Besides, you've never seen a Central Hospital before right?"

Lola folded her arms, and narrowed her eyes.

(Sara had given her the same look multiple times before when she was younger. When she had pushed herself too hard, or gone a bit too far Winry had it down, but Lola was still struggling to emulate it-)

Maes rubbed the back of his head, letting out a sigh as he signed into the hospital.

"Alright, you caught me," The man replied. He gave her a look over his glasses, hazel eyes sharp. "The Elrics are staying here and I thought it'd be nice for you guys to see each other,"

(She loved Maes, truly she did. But he was a known meddler-)

 _'I saw them not too long ago,'_ Lola signed, turning her head away. _'I don't think me seeing them would be the best right now,'_

(It wouldn't be a good thing. She had told Ed she didn't hate them, but even so-)

"Family is important," Maes said, tone slightly firm. He placed a smile on his face,bright like every aspect of him. "Visiting them in the hospital can't hurt. Those boys went through a lot recently y'know,"

(She knew. She knew and she was powerless to do anything. She couldn't do anything-)

They were already at Ed's hospital room.

A pretty young woman, with short dark hair and a mole under her eye saluted once seeing Maes. She gave Lola an inquisitive look.

(Her eyes are so blue-)

Like the shameless man he was, Maes busted in.

"Hey Edward!" He called out, barging through the door. Lola lagged behind a bit. "I heard you got a pretty girl in here servicing you! What gives?"

The expression Ed made was comical, as Winry sat calmly behind him. Lola let out a deep breath, as the two of them went back and forth.

(Now or never Graham. Mama wouldn't back down so why should you-)

Lola placed a cheerful smile on her face, before popping out behind Maes.

Winry let out a sound of surprise, as Ed just gave her a blank look.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" He asked blankly. Lola scowled at that, as Winry smacked him over the head.

(Once an ass always an ass-It's oddly comforting)

"Don't be rude, you idiot!" Winry hissed, before running over to give Lola a hug. "Be grateful she came to visit you!"

Lola squeezed Winry in a hug, taking a moment to assess Ed's injuries.

(He looks pretty beat up. I could probably help with that-)

 _'You look horrible,'_ Lola signed, raising a brow at the blonde. _'Do you always get your ass kicked this much?_ '

"Shut up!" The blonde retorted, ears slightly red. "It was a one time thing!"

_'You got your ass kicked a few weeks ago too,'_

Ed frothed at the mouth, as Lola held back a laugh.

 _'Where's Al?'_ She questioned leaning against the bed.

"He went out for a few minutes," Winry replied, before raising a brow. "But Lola… what _are_ you doing here? What about the clinic?"

 _'I'm taking a bit of a break,_ ' She signed, smiling. _'I wanted to visit the Hughes family for a bit. I told you about Hughes before, didn't I?_ '

"Aren't you taking too many breaks?" Ed replied snidely. "Won't they fire you?"

Lola sniffed at that.

 _'Don't be a fool Ed, I'm much too talented,_ ' She replied, flipping her hair back. ' _Besides, they love me over there,'_

(Well… most of her patients loved her. There were a few stubborn old ladies who hadn't fallen for her charms but they could go kick rocks-)

She took another look at his injuries.

 _'I could help you with those,'_ Lola offered, pulling on her transmutation gloves. ' _You'll still need to rest of course, but-'_

"Don't bother," The blonde replied, looking off to the side. "I got these injuries myself, so I'll heal them myself, "

Lola made a sound of acknowledgement at that, absentmindedly running a hand through her hair.

(He's a stubborn idiot, but that's not always a bad thing-)

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Winry!" Maes said cheerfully a bit farther off, shaking the blonde's hand. "Lola's told me so much about you,"

"She has?" Winry replied looking more than a bit surprised. Maes simply nodded his head.

"I believe 'the best automail mechanic the world will ever see' were the words she used to describe you,"

Winry gushed.

"Oh Lola's exaggerating," The blonde replied, slightly flustered but obviously pleased.

 _'Don't be modest, Win,_ ' Lola replied, squeezing the girl in another hug. She gave Maes a cheeky smile. _'She's gonna make waves one of these days,'_

Winry's face flamed, as Maes let out a booming laugh.

"Don't you have work you need to be doing?" Ed questioned, still a bit flustered. Maes simply waved a hand at that.

"Don't worry, I gave Sheska overtime," He replied, causing Lola to roll her eyes.

(Sheska was a sweet girl. A memory like that was hard to come by-)

"You're an evil man," Ed deadpanned. Hughes let out another booming laugh.

"Anyways, I just wanted to check and see how you guys were doing," Hughes said, that same infectious smile coming over his face. "And to tell you the update on Scar. Your bodyguards are going to be dismissed soon,"

Everything went silent for a moment after he said that.

(Sara and Yuriy's bodies laid out on the floor. Scar standing over them, eyes crazed like a maniac-)

She couldn't even blame him for it. Everything that went wrong, Sara and Yuriy dying was because of the homunculus. It could all be traced back to them.

(Even if Scar hadn't killed them, the military would've done something eventually. Two Amestrian doctors helping Ishvalan refugees? They would've been taken care of-)

Lola squeezed Winry a bit tighter.

"Wait, hold on," Winry started off, blue eyes burning. "Bodyguards? You never told me about any of that. Just what have you guys been up to?"

Ed avoided her gaze, spouting out some obvious lies that had Lola rolling her eyes once again. Winry scowled fiercely at that.

"Fine don't tell me anything," She replied, eyes narrowing. Ed simply pursed his lips, golden eyes set.

(Time to intervene-)

 _'You two can never stay out of danger, can you?_ ' She signed leaning into Winry. Ed looked ready to retort, but her eyes took on a stern look causing Ed to rear back a bit. _'We're both worried about you two okay? We know there are things you can't tell us, but even so don't go around treating your lives like spare change. How do you think Winry felt when she got the call that you were in the hospital yet again? Or when you and Al came back to Resembool in tatters? I want you two to get your bodies back, but I don't want to get a call one day saying that you pushed yourselves too hard. Be more careful,'_

For once Ed didn't quite know what to say, Winry silently nodded her head in agreement.

He looked down at his lap momentarily, the top of his ears burning.

(He's embarrassed but it needed to be said-)

"Got it," He replied simply. Lola nodded her head firmly.

 _'Al was lucky he could escape my lecture, but you better tell him too,'_ Lola replied, raising a fist threateningly. She stretched her arms up to the ceiling, letting out a yawn as she turned away.

(I haven't signed that much in a while. My hand kinda hurts-)

Winry picked up her luggage, slugging it over her shoulder.

"Well, I have to go find a place to crash tonight," Winry said, nodding towards Ed. Lola and Maes had identical grins on their faces.

 _'What kind of sister would I be to let you fend for yourself?_ ' Lola signed, before taking Winry's arm in her own. Maes nodded his head happily.

"Of course you can stay with my family," Hughes replied, taking Winry's other arm and pulling her out of the room. "You'll just love my daughter. Did you know it's her birthday today? We have an entire celebration planned-"

Lola followed after, laughter on the tip of her tongue. She stopped at the door, and turned back to give Ed one last look.

She gave him a cheeky grin.

_'Try and take my advice shrimp. I know your growth's a bit stunted but I'm sure even you can understand that we all don't want anything bad to happen to you,'_

Of course most of her message went over his head, as steam practically came out of his ears.

"Who are you calling so small you'd need a microscope to see him-"

Lola let out a sigh, waving at the boy as she too made her way out of the hospital room.

* * *

Lola clapped her hands, as Elysia blew out her candles. All of her school friends cheered around her, as Maes took a picture of the occasion.

(Maes loved taking pictures. He loved capturing every single moment-)

Winry let out a sigh next to her, as she watched the scene with a soft smile on her face.

"Remember how we used to have parties like these back in Resembool?" Winry brought up wistfully. "This really takes me back. It feels like a lifetime ago,"

Lola nodded in agreement.

(Before Trisha had gotten sick these were a common occurrence. Then the war started to pick up and everything went straight to Hell-)

 _'You and Ed would always fight over the last piece of cake,'_ Lola brought up, smiling as Winry blushed at the memory. ' _Then while you were fighting Al would sneak and take it without you even noticing,'_

"He'd only always share it with you," Winry replied, giving Lola an annoyed look. There was fondness hidden in her gaze, however. Lola just beamed at that, shrugging her shoulders.

(While Ed and Winry were stuck fighting over every little thing, Al had always been her partner in crime-)

 _'The bond Al and I have can't be broken,'_ Lola replied, preening. She sagged her shoulders a bit. _'I wish I could've seen him today,'_

(Especially now when he was going through something so- Al always had a calming presence. It was different with Ed. Ever since that day there was something there Lola wasn't quite sure what to do with. Feelings she wasn't quite sure what to-)

Lola blinked, before taking a long sip of her drink.

(Not the time for that-)

Elysia ran up to her, jumping onto her lap.

"Lola, Lola, who's this?" Elysia asked, a cheerful smile on her face. Lola held back a laugh at that, as Winry went to introduce herself.

"My name's Winry," The blonde said, as the ball of energy transferred herself to her lap next. Elysia began to talk Winry's ear off, as Lola went to the side to help Gracia.

 _'Elysia seems to be enjoying herself,'_ Lola signed, helping the woman. Gracia gave her a grateful smile, before nodding warmly.

"She's been looking forward to this night for a while now," Gracia admitted.

 _'She talked my ear off about it last night,'_ Lola said, helping to bring out some more food. _'She kept trying to figure out what my present for her is,'_

"You have been very secretive about it," Gracia noted. She pursed her lips slightly. "Lola please don't tell me it's something expensive-"

 _'It's a little pricey,_ ' Lola admitted, cutting her off. She waved her hands at the look on Gracia's face. ' _But not by a lot. I wasn't able to get her anything last year, so I wanted this year to be special,'_

(It had to be special-)

 _'You'll see what it is soon,_ ' Lola admitted. _'Don't worry, it's not too outlandish,'_

(Nothing could be enough-)

The sound of a cocked gun broke Lola out of her thoughts, as she turned her head to the side. She let out an exasperated sigh, as she saw it was only Maes trying to scare away a few kids as Winry looked on in horror.

(He's gonna be a nightmare once Elysia starts dating-)

Lola paused momentarily, before shaking her head. She plastered a smile on her face as Elysia ran up to her once again.

* * *

_(That night Elysia and the rest of the kids worked on braiding her hair. She took it out of her ponytail and let it fall down to her back. They took turns putting little flowers and trinkets in it that Lola knew she would have a hard time getting out later. The party ended with Elysia getting all of her presents. A few dolls, some money from the adults, and a brand new easy to operate camera from Lola herself. So that she could capture every moment like her dad before her. The smile Elysia gave her was worth all the money she had to save. She put on a bright smile, as Elysia took her first picture of her-)_

* * *

She waited for Elysia to fall asleep, before sneaking off to the guest room. She let out a sigh, before jumping onto the guest bed that Winry was sitting on.

 _'So? How did you like it?'_ Lola signed, before leaning back. Winry just smiled, hugging her pillow to her chest.

"It brought back a lot of good memories," Winry said softly. "Mr. Hughes is really nice too. I can see why you like him so much,"

(He was splattered across the floor, gunshot wounds in his body- Could she heal a gunshot wound-)

Lola took a deep breath.

(Lola you made up your mind-)

 _'Winry,'_ Lola started off, steeling herself. ' _There's something I have to tell you. Something I haven't told anyone yet,'_

(She had thought about telling the Hughes, but she needed to tell Winry first-)

Winry smiled at her, and Lola hugged her arms to her chest.

(Winry would be fine. She was just being a coward-)

_'I met someone in Barcombe-'_

"You're in a relationship?" Winry swooned. "Who is it? I thought you and Seth were a sure thing-"

' _No relationships,'_ Lola signed, shaking her head slowly. Winry's shoulders sagged at that, as the redhead continued.

 _'You know Reginald Hargeaves?'_ She signed. Bringing out her notepad to write out his name.

Winry scratched her cheek, eyes narrowed in contemplation before shaking her head.

"Sorry, can't say I do," She replied, pursing her lips. "It's a fancy sounding name,"

(So she wasn't the only one-)

 _'Apparently he's loaded,_ ' Lola replied, kicking both of her feet up onto the bed properly. _'Like super rich. The type of rich people like us can't even imagine,'_

(The type of rich that Mary would have been infatuated with-)

"What about him?" Winry asked, blue eyes wide as she waited patiently. Lola pursed her lips, gripping the bed sheets.

(Stop being a coward and just-'I'm going to Xing-)

 _'I got him to give the clinic a lot of money,_ ' Lola signed instead, grinning cheekily. _'We'll be able to get a bunch of new medicine and materials now. Isn't that great?'_

(You're horrible. A disgrace. Mama and Papa would be disappointed you coward-)

"That's great Lola," Winry cheered, grabbing her hands. She was careful to keep her voice low, as she seemed to steel herself a bit. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Lola simply nodded her head, inwardly kicking herself.

(This was your chance to tell her, and now you're just-)

"When are you going to get certified?" Winry asked, Lola freezing at the question. Winry charged forward, even though Lola began to shrink into herself. "It's just… I heard granny talking to Wagner on the phone about it before. I meant to ask you when you came to Resembool but… I guess I got cold feet,"

Winry's eyes burned bright, and no matter how much Lola wanted to look away she couldn't.

(Winry got everything from Sara and Urey. Everything that was good, even the perfect mixture of their eyes. Lola loved her sister, but God she hated how much she reminded her of them-)

"I know you have your reasons," Winry said slowly, not letting go of Lola's hand. "But… I'm not sure if they're the right ones,"

(This was too much-)

 _'Win,_ ' Lola signed with her free hand, forcing a smile on her face. _'I'm fine. Getting certified isn't easy. I just want to be prepared. When I am you'll be the first one to know,'_

Winry remained silent for a few moments, before squeezing Lola's hand again.

"Was there something else you wanted to tell me?" Winry questioned, another smile on her face. Lola simply smiled, shaking her head.

_'Nope, nothing at all,'_

* * *

_(She was a coward, a coward who didn't want to make her sister sad anymore-)_

* * *

Elysia was unstoppable with her new camera.

She took pictures of Gracia at the stove, of Winry brushing her teeth, of Lola fixing her hair.

When she tried to go outside to take pictures of the neighbors, Maes finally had to step in and intervene.

"Princess, you're going to waste the film," He tried to tell her, gently placing the camera on top of the shelf. "You have to take pictures of really important moments okay?"

Elysia looked up at him, her chin jutted out as she folded her arms.

"But, daddy," She said with the utmost seriousness. "Every moment is important. I want to capture all of it!"

The room went silent for a moment, before Maes gathered the girl in a hug, and Lola and Winry both joined him in swooning over the girl's innocence.

(It all felt so wrong-Like she was living in some type of really weird dream-)

As Winry gathered her belongings, Elysia bounded over to the girl, a large smile on her face as she grabbed the girl's leg.

"Come back soon, okay big sis?" Elysia beamed hanging off of her leg. "You're Lola's sister, so you're my sister too!"

Lola had to lean against the wall to steady herself after that comment.

(Forget being killed by a homunculus or someone in the military, Elysia would be the death of her she just knew it-)

Winry simply beamed back, ruffling the girl's hair.

"I will," The blonde promised.

* * *

She always had a sick feeling in her stomach, something gnawing deep inside of her that she actively had to try and ignore.

(How could she not? With all that she knew-)

But for some reason, when she made it inside to the hospital the sick feeling only increased.

She clutched at her stomach, something that didn't go unnoticed by Winry.

"Are you alright?" The blonde asked, wrapping an arm around her. Even though Lola was a few good inches taller than Winry, the blonde had a much sturdier build.

(Probably due to all the automail-)

Lola just smiled, and nodded her head.

 _'I'm gonna go up to the roof,_ ' Lola signed. Winry offered to go with her, but Lola shook her head. _'Only for a few moments, okay? I think I just need some air. Then I'll be down to see the boys,'_

Winry pursed her lips at that, before nodding her head begrudgingly. Maes simply gave her a pat on the back, as they both went in the direction of Ed's hospital room.

Lola made her way to the roof, taking note of how high quality it was.

(She hadn't had the chance to really see it the other day. But compared to the clinic this was top notch. The military got all of the country's funding while the rest were left to rot-)

She breathed in, as she finally made her way to the hospital roof.

(Focus. Clear your head and focus on something, anything-)

She closed her eyes, letting the wind go up against her face.

(Hughes laying on the ground-Elysia screaming out for her dead father-You bought her a camera in exchange for her father's life-)

Her eyes burned, as she hurriedly tried to rub at her eyes.

(Don't do this Lola. Don't worry anyone. You're better than this-)

She jumped up, as the door to the roof slammed open nearly hitting her in the face.

She turned her head, only to see golden eyes looking back at her.

(Golden eyes-)

Ed simply let out a sigh, running a hand over his face.

"Of course it's you," He muttered, and Lola simply pursed her lips before looking off to the side.

(Ed could be a real ass sometimes-She didn't know why that hurt so much, she knew he didn't mean it-Everything was too much-)

Ed froze, once he took note of her red eyes.

He waved his hands in front of him, not sure what to do as Lola turned away to the side.

(This was the last thing she wanted to happen-)

"I-I didn't mean it like that," Ed tried to explain, voice becoming slightly high pitched. "You _know_ I didn't mean it like that-"

Lola slugged the boy in the shoulder, not caring that he was fresh from healing in the hospital.

 _'As if you would make me cry,_ ' Lola replied, furrowing her brow. _'You're giving yourself way too much credit. I got bigger problems than you Ed,'_

The blonde twitched at that, before simply clutching his fist and leaning against the wall.

(Not even getting upset about the subtle jab at his height-)

 _'I'm fine,'_ Lola signed, leaning against the wall too. _'I'm starting to realize some things I guess. You don't have to worry about it, I'm just being dramatic,'_

Ed remained silent, simply staring down at his feet. Eventually he let out a long suffering sigh.

"You idiot," He replied, raising his head once more, and lightly bumping his fist against Lola's shoulder. Lola blinked at that, as the blonde struggled for the right words to say. "You said it yourself didn't you? We're family. Family has each other's backs,"

Lola pressed her lips together, fingers trembling as the boy went on.

"Al's being an idiot," The boy said, not noticing the fact that Lola was frozen next to him. "He just… I don't know how to-"

(He had been crying on the hospital bed. She had bandages around her own neck, her throat burning with each breath as she held him down as he went through his automail fitting.-"What if Al hates me?")

They were both such idiots.

 _ **"He,"**_ Lola coughed, as she worked on getting the words out. Ed's eyes widened, as he stared at her transfixed. _**"He… doesn't hate... you,"**_

(The words were so weird sounding. Like she was some sort of alien. Every word felt like gravel running down her throat. But even so, she had to embrace it-)

"You-you've been-"

 _'I can only say a few words at a time,'_ Lola signed, massaging her throat. _'I've been practicing a lot. It's not exactly recommended, but I figured now would be as good a time as any to really shock you,'_

Ed didn't speak, eyes wide as he continued to look at her. Lola simply rolled her eyes.

(Why was he looking at her like that? Was it really that hard for him to believe that Al didn't hate him?)

 _'For goodness sake shrimp, is it really that hard to believe?'_ Lola signed, frowning slightly. _'Al's one of the most honest guys out there. Do you really think he could spend this much time with you if he hated you?'_

"You found a way to speak?" Ed said, ignoring what she had signed. Lola pursed her lips.

' _Don't get it twisted,_ ' Lola signed, placing one hand on her hip. _'It's not as easy as it looks. But… it's something at least,_ '

(Of course she wanted her regular voice back. But she had to make do with what she had now-)

Ed continued to stare at her, and for a moment Lola considered punching him in the face.

Luckily for him, the door to the roof burst open.

Lola jumped back as Al rushed out onto the roof, the sound of his armor clanking as he hurriedly looked around.

The suit of armor looked ahead, catching sight of Lola as the girl took a few steps back. He looked as if he was about to say something.

Lola simply shook her head, and pointed towards Ed who was standing near the balcony. Once he had heard the clanking of Al's armor, he had finally turned away, looking over the edge.

Lola simply stepped back some more.

 _'Fix this,'_ She had signed, walking towards him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled, before walking away.

She waited until he was fully out on the balcony before looking out the door.

(So what, she wanted to know what was happening, sue her-)

Winry and Maes ran up behind her as Ed charged at Al.

Winry let out a sound of aggravation, as the two of them fought it out.

"Why can't they just talk it out like normal people?" Winry questioned, running a hand over her face. Even though she sounded annoyed, she had a pleased smile on her face once they both landed on the ground. The smile grew once they bumped fists.

Lola simply shook her head, smiling at the scene.

(This was the only way they could talk it out. The only way they knew how as stupid as it sounded-)

Her eyes burned once more, as she turned away to the side.

("Take care of them for me, Lola,")

As she saw them talk on the roof, she simply shook her head.

(They never needed anyone to take care of them. Against all odds, as long as they had each other they would be fine-)

She knew it deep down, but seeing it in person was a whole other feeling.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter:)


	6. VI.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

* * *

VI.

* * *

Her throat wouldn't stop hurting.

(After it had happened, she couldn't stop coughing up blood. She heard Ed crying out in the corner, agonizing over where Al used to be. Where only his clothes remained-)

"Lola," He called out, tears streaming down his face. Lola chanced a look at him, her stomach curdling as she saw the bloody stump where his leg used to be. His eyes scrunched up, as he finally looked every bit the child he was. "I'm so sorry,"

(Lola wanted to laugh. When had Ed ever apologized to her?)

She tried to open her mouth, to say something, anything. All that came out was another bloody cough.

(Why couldn't she speak? What did they take-)

Lola froze, shoulders shaking as she tried to remember.

(All the memories came rushing back. They had stared at her, taking on her form. They spoke with her voice-)

Lola cradled her head, grasping at her hair as she forced herself to calm down.

 _"Hello, Lola Graham,"_ It said to her. _"It's nice to see you again,"_

She remembered.

(Visions of a girl she used to be. Of a girl that died forgotten and alone-)

"Why am I here?" Lola had asked, struggling to stand up straight. The entity in front of her simply remained silent.

Why was this happening? What had she done wrong? All she wanted to do was help them. All she ever wanted to do was help them. Why was she being punished?

(It had stared at her, focusing on her with that eerie smile as all the information of the universe was jammed into her brain.)

She felt bad for them. They didn't have anyone else except Winry, Granny, and her. She knew how hard it was being so lonely all the time. All she had wanted to do was help them.

 _"What did you do?_ " It had repeated, using her voice, sounding almost incredulous. _"You interfered. Those boys committed the ultimate taboo, and you tried to interfere in their punishment,"_

She had opened her mouth to defend herself, to defend the boys, but all that came out was a strangled sound.

 _"You're an alchemist, aren't you? You know how it works,"_ The Truth had said, their voice as calm as ever. _"You know what has to happen,"_

(All these memories. Of a future that hadn't happened yet. Of a future that was so-)

Blood trickled out of her mouth.

The Truth had simply smiled.

Ed kept calling out to her, asking if she was okay. But she remained frozen, silent as she looked at her blood covered hand. As she looked at the place she had jumped to try and pull Al back. As she looked at the monster the boys had created.

She tried to get up, but slipped on the blood covered floor. The metallic smell prodding through her senses.

Her hands shook.

For the first time in a long while, Lola sobbed silently, placing her head against the ground as she let out a silent, strangled scream.

Her throat was on fire, she couldn't speak, and all she could hear was Ed muttering aloud about how he would make things right.

"I have to do it," He muttered, like a madman. Golden eyes that she had always found rather beautiful, narrowed like a crazed maniac. "I'll bring him back,"

She should've gotten up. She should've rushed to bandage up his leg so that his already horrible situation didn't get any worse. But she couldn't move.

In that moment, in a fit of weakness and selfishness that she had never admitted to anyone, Lola could only think about herself.

(What kind of doctor can't speak? What type of life could she live now that she was practically mute?)

She could hear Ed crawling across the floor, leaving a trail of blood in his wake and struggling to wrap the bandages around his injury.

She rubbed her bloody hands onto her skirt, crawling over to where he was, and taking the bandages from his hand and assisting him.

Ed wouldn't stop crying.

"I'm sorry, Lola," He had said once more, his head bowed in shame as he could hardly bear to look at her.

Lola simply nodded her head, focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

_(There was something fundamentally wrong with her. She should've been more angry at them. She should've-)_

* * *

_(She couldn't remember much about the year that followed that night. All she could remember was going to bed each night, and wanting nothing more than to never wake up-)_

* * *

_(It's not like it would have mattered if she had died. She wasn't even meant to be there in the first place-)_

* * *

After their fight, Ed and Al went right back to the way things were before. No tension, and no hard feelings.

They were both so complicated yet simple at the same time, Lola mused, as she waited for Winry to finish what she was doing. She leaned against the wall of the train station, as Winry went in to buy tickets to Dublith.

(Dublith. The place they stayed at for three years with barely even a phone call. They had only come by to visit once in a while during the summer, but even then their mind was stuck over there-)

Lola placed a smile onto her face, as Winry walked out of the station, bubbly as ever.

(She could always count on Winry to make her feel better. She just had that presence-)

 _'Let's go buy some food,_ ' Lola signed, tapping Winry's shoulder. _'We still got some money left over,'_

Winry nodded her head, blue eyes brightening.

"I really want to try those donuts at that cafe we passed by,"

Lola grinned at that, linking arms with the blonde.

_'Winry, you read my mind,'_

* * *

Ed's eye twitched, as the two of them walked in stuffing their faces with powdered donuts. He had been staring out the window, along with the other inhabitants of the room

With a smile, Winry waved the tickets. As Lola offered donuts to Maes and Major Armstrong.

"I thought I told you guys to only buy the tickets," Ed stated, his brow twitching. Lola shrugged at that, as Maes happily took a powdered donut.

"We got hungry," Winry replied simply. "We got you the tickets you asked for though,"

"So?" Ed screeched. "Don't go wasting my money on junk food!"

 _'Sorry Ed_ ,' Lola signed, before popping another donut into her mouth. ' _I'd give you one, but you shouldn't be eating junk food while you're still recovering,_ ' Ed gave her an incredulous look.

"So you're saying I can't even get one?!"

Major Armstrong cleared his throat, thanking Lola as he took one of the donuts.

"You're leaving so soon?" He asked, blue eyes sharp. "Your wounds haven't healed up completely yet,"

Lola pursed her lips at that, as she closed the box of donuts.

(I could help him with that if only he'd let me-)

Maes wiped the corner of his mouth, as he looked down at the tickets.

"Dublith? What do you guys have planned there?" He asked, gratefully taking another donut.

"I'm tired of getting my ass kicked," Ed said, sitting up a little straighter. "With the way things are, we have to visit our old alchemy teacher,"

(A sickly woman, with the most intimidating gaze she had ever seen-)

Ed and Al both froze.

"I-I think I'm too scared brother," Al said, his suit of armor shaking. "She's definitely going to kill us,"

"Don't chicken out on me now, Al!" Ed replied, tears streaming down his face. "I'm scared too,"

(They could both be so dramatic-)

Winry grabbed her shoulder, her grip deadly tight. Lola gave her a look.

Wordlessly, Winry pointed towards the map. Lola peered over Winry's shoulders, before letting out a slight sound of understanding.

_("Winry," Lola had asked her years before, when the blonde had just found her passion for automail. She would pour over the notes day in and day out, nothing else in the world mattering to her. "Are you sure you really want to be an automail engineer? I thought we were gonna be doctors together and travel the countryside,"_

_Winry simply shook her head at that, an apologetic smile on her face._

_"Automail's really fun!" The blonde replied, turning the page in her book. "Granny said that it's like magic! You get to help people in ways that others can't,"_

_Lola hummed at that, placing her head in her hands._

_"I guess," Lola replied, "I still can't see what's so great about it. Everyone in this family is so obsessed,"_

_Winry gave her a solemn look, and simply patted her head._

_"You'll understand one day," She replied. "There's this place Granny told me about. It's called Rush Valley. It's like the holy land of automail. It'll turn you into a believer,"_

_Lola sighed at that, before turning over on her bed._

_"I doubt it, Win," The redhead said long sufferingly. "I'm no engineer-")_

Rush Valley.

Ed took note of the looks on their faces, and raised a brow.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his hand sneaking over to try and take one of the donuts. Lola smacked it away, still looking at the map.

Winry let out a gleeful scream, as she swung Lola around.

"What is it?" Al asked, jumping slightly.

"Right before Dublith," Winry started off, practically shaking. "It's Rush Valley! The holy land of automail engineering!"

She jumped in front of Ed, eyes practically sparkling.

"We have to go, we have to go, you need to take us!"

"Why the Hell do I have to pay?" Ed asked, rubbing the back of his head. "Make Lola pay since you guys wanna go so bad," Lola shrunk into herself at that comment.

(She would gladly pay for Winry's ticket… if it weren't for the fact that assistants didn't really make that much money, and she was already skating on thin ice due to buying Elysia's camera-)

 _'I can't go to Rush Valley,'_ Lola signed, _'I have to head back to the clinic soon. Besides, Winry came all the way out here to fix your arm, the least you can do is pay for her travel fare,'_

Ed scowled at that, and turned his head to the side. Winry smiled triumphantly.

"Whatever," He replied. Al popped up at that moment, looking at the map once more.

"It's on the way, brother," He said placatingly. "It won't be so bad,"

"Only if you want to, Al," Ed replied.

Winry cheered, as Ed resigned himself to his fate.

"I have to go tell, Granny!" Winry said, beaming. "This is totally worth a change of plans,"

She practically skipped out the room as Lola took one more donut.

Of course Maes had to throw her for a loop.

"She's going to make you a fine wife one day," He said solemnly, patting Ed on the shoulder. Ed reared back at that, as Lola choked on her donut. Al patted her on the back to calm her down.

* * *

Winry squeezed her in a hug, as they all waited for the train to come.

"I wish you could come with us," Winry replied. "We haven't spent this much time together in a while,"

 _'Me too,'_ Lola signed, pasting a sad smile on her face. ' _But I've been too lax lately. I really need to get ready to go back to Barcombe,_ '

(And to go to Xing-)

It left a bitter taste in her mouth, as Winry beamed at her.

(She still hadn't told her, and now it was getting harder and harder-)

The sound of the train pulled her out of her thoughts, as Winry went to pick up her luggage. Lola saddled up beside Al.

(He was still so young, they all were-)

 _'Make sure they don't argue too much,_ ' Lola signed, giving Al a one armed hug. _'Make sure to take care of yourself too, okay? Don't get too caught up in making sure other people are happy. Take care of yourself too, alright?'_

Al simply nodded at that, as the train finally came into view.

"Lola," Al started off slowly. "There's something… it's about the philosopher's stone,"

Lola snapped to attention at that, eyes narrowing.

 _'Did you guys find a breakthrough?_ ' Lola signed, placing a smile on her face.

(The price was human lives-They would never use something like that-she couldn't either honestly-)

Al remained silent for a moment, before simply shaking his head.

"No," he eventually replied. "I umm… I just wanted to say that brother and I are doing everything we can. That you don't need to worry about anything alright? We'll get our bodies back, and be able to heal you too,"

Lola blinked at that, as Al said it with such certainty. Her eyes watered momentarily, as she turned her head to the side.

 _'I told you idiots not to worry about me,'_ Lola signed, slightly shoving Al's shoulder. ' _But… thank you, Alphonse. I really appreciate it,'_

Al simply nodded his head, as they all got ready to board the train.

"And the same goes for you, Lola," Al said, "Don't worry about us either. Take care of yourself,"

Lola simply smiled at that, waving as the three of them boarded the train. Maes stood by her side, waving them off as well, as the train finally left the station.

(Her eyes lingered on Ed for a moment, but the boy wouldn't meet her gaze. His eyes were trained ahead, his back turned to her as he focused on the task ahead. She really-)

She breathed out, pushing away any unwanted thoughts as she turned to Maes.

 _'You didn't have to come,'_ Lola signed, as they walked away from the train station. _'Seriously, you're too nice at times,_ '

"Of course I had to come!" Maes replied, adjusting his glasses. "Winry was a joy to have around the house, and those boys have already been through so much. Waving them off at the train station is nothing in the grand scheme of things,"

(He had been full of bullet holes-Elysia screaming as they covered his body-)

' _You're such a good guy, Mr. Hughes,_ ' Lola signed. _'Seriously,'_

The man simply let out a warm laugh, and pulled out a picture of Elysia attempting to paint her nails. She had gotten the paint all over her fingers, but Maes was still the proudest man in the world.

"Isn't my little angel so talented?" He gushed. Lola merely smiled, nodding her head as the two of them made their way back.

* * *

(Her mind was already made up-)

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Here's Kairos chapter 6! It was kind of short, but I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless. I know I said the plot would really pick up this chapter, but that was a lie. Next chapter is when the plot will really begin. We're getting to a pretty important part of the story.
> 
> I hope you guys had a good holiday/break, and see you next time.
> 
> Special thanks to Lloegyn for helping me out with this story and a few others. They're a lifesaver.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this story. Kairos is also posted over on fanfiction.net.


End file.
